The Crazy World of High School 2
by angelcutepie
Summary: Two years later, Ash and Dawn are still dating and going strong...until a familiar new boy comes in and things start to get crazy. What happens when Dawn befriends this boy and Ash's jealousy starts to get the best of him? Heartbreaks, drama, and betrayal.
1. New Year, Old Faces

**Author's Notes: Crazy World of High School is BACK :) but this times it's gonna be some what crazier. More Drama. You'll see in the later chapters :] I have nothing to say oh wait except... I Survived Hurricane IRENE :D I was scared during that woah! But Anyways.. on to the reading :) Hope you like it.**

**Ash: 18  
>Dawn: 17<br>May: 17  
>Drew: 18<br>Gary: 18  
>?: 17<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Dear Diary,<em>

_Wow, it's been a long time since I wrote in you huh? That last time I wrote in here was when I was starting summer break from ninth grade? Now, I'm in 11th. I just kinda forgot about you until I found you just a few mintues ago.. I'll start writing in here again starting today :), my first day of being in the 11th! I'm so excited, I could barely sleep last night lol. Wait, hold on! I need to catch you up on a few things first.. but nothing really changed though..._

_Me and Ash are still dating :) It's been a year and a few months, almost two years! I'm so in love with him, but since it's almost time for me to leave for school I can't go into detail right now. May and Drew are still dating too :) almost two years for them also! Gary and Giselle are also still dating, but right now I think they hit a bump in the road. Eh, I mean no relationship is perfect and this isn't the first time so... they'll pull through like always. Misty and Lucas broke up, but I think they do the 'friends with benefits' thing. Also, Misty and Lucas started hanging out with me, Ash, Drew, May, and Gary. So instead of five of us, it's seven :). Okay, that's all I can write right now because my mom is calling me... Time for school :). I'll write in here when I get back. Bye!_

_- Dawn :]_

"Dawn!" A loud voice yelled from downstairs. Dawn stood up from her bed after placing her diary under her pillow.

"I'm coming mom!" She yelled back to her calling mother. She looked in her mirror and smiled. She hadn't change much over the years, she just got a little taller and her hair grew a few inches longer.

"Dawn! Your bus is coming down the street!" Dawn stopped looking at herself and ran out her room and down the steps. Johanna laughed when she saw her daughter running out the door. "Bye Dawn! Have a good first day!" She yelled out the door. Before getting on the bus, Dawn waved to her mother.

The blue-haired girl walked down the ailse of the bus looking for a certain red-head. "Hey Misty!" Dawn greeted her friend, as she sat down beside her. Misty moved her bags onto her lap so she could make room for Dawn.

"Hey Dawn, ready for your first day?" The red-head asked with a bright smile on her face. Dawn smiled back and nodded her head.

"You bet! What about you? This is your last year, miss Senior." Dawn teased playfully. Misty sighed and frowned a bit. "What's wrong?" Dawn asked in a concerned tone, after seeing her mood change.

"It's just.. this is my last year and everytime I think about it, it makes me sad. I'm really gonna miss everyone. After this it's college, Dawn."

"I'm gonna miss you too Mist. Even though we had a very rough start, we managed to put that behind us and become friends and I'm glad we did." Misty smiled and looked at her friend.

"Me too Dawn, now can we not talk about this. What you just said made it seem like were saying goodbye now." Misty laughed at her little joke, along with Dawn then a silence stopped their laughing and talking.

"Dawn?" Misty broke the silence. "What are you and Ash gonna do?" Dawn turned her head towards Misty and raised one of her eyebrows.

"What do you mean? I'm confused."

Misty giggled. "I mean, he's going to college right? After all, this is his last year. Are you two gonna continue dating while he's in college?" Dawn thought about what Misty just said. She didn't have an answer to her question because, she never thought about Ash going to college. It never crossed her mind, nor have they ever discussed it. "Dawn? You okay?" She snapped out of her thinking state.

"I-uh.. I don't know." Dawn said in a low voice. She obviously was starting to think about this and getting a little sad.

"Hey, you still have a whole year. Don't worry about it now. I'm sure you guys will figure something out." Misty said, hopefully cheering her up. Dawn gave her a smile and stood up, since their bus was now parked in the front of RoseWood High School.

"Come on Misty!" The bluenette said with a smile and walking down the ailse of the bus. Misty got out the bus seat and walked behind Dawn off the bus.

When they got off the bus, they looked at the crowded school yard. Teenagers were every where greeting and hugging eachother from their long summer break. They started walking to the doors of the school. As they walked, Dawn thought she saw someone that looked very familiar to her, but she just brushed it off and kept walking through the thick crowd of students.

"Bye Misty! I'll see you later, hopefully we have lunch together." Dawn said as she waved to Misty, who was going the opposite way of her. All the seniors were kept on their own hallway.

After saying her goodbyes to Misty, Dawn found her hall with ease. Being at RoseWood High for two years payed off because she knew where everything is. After a couple of minutes of walking down the school hallways, just to find her correct hall, and a lot of people saying how they missed her and hugging her, she managed to make it to her hall and was now looking for her new locker for the school year.

"703, 704, 705, ah here we go." The bluenette said as she found her locker and began to enter her lock combination. After putting her books in her locker, she started to decorate the inside since she had some time before the bell rung.

"Dawn!" A familiar voice yelled. Dawn turned around to see who called her name. A brown haired, dark blue eyed girl was heading towards her. It was her bestfriend. The girl that had been there for her since she had moved to Kanto.

"Hey May!" The blue haired girl greeted her friend as May walked up.

"Dawn, I missed you!" May said as she gave her bestfriend a hug.

"Missed me?" Dawn said while raising one of her brows."I just saw you Saturday." May let out a sheepish laugh.

"Well everyone else is saying it, so I wanted to also." She finished with a smile.

"Okay May." Dawn said while playfully rolling her eyes. "So what's your locker number?" She asked just as May opened her locker, to the left of her own locker. "Never mind." Dawn said, feeling a little stupid.

A few minutes passed in silence as Dawn finished decorating her locker and as May put her belongings in her locker.

"All finished." The blue haired teen said as she added the last thing to her locker making it complete. Curious to what she 'finished' May closed her locker and looked in Dawn's.

"Cool, really creative and cute." May cooed as she examined her friend's locker.

She had placed pictures in her locker. Pictures of her and Ash, her and May, and of her and her friends.

"Aww! I think this picture is so cute of you and Ash!" May squealed as she pointed to a picture. Dawn was sitting on Ash's lap, both blushing furiously, after Drew had caught them kissing. Dawn smiled and playfully rolled her eyes at the memory.

"Hey I took this picture of you two!" May said looking at the picture and smiling. Ash and Dawn were holding hands, walking down the beach. "And this one is adorable." The brunette examined the picture of the couple. Dawn was wearing Ash's hat and winking, while Ash's was behind her with his arms wrapped around her.

Dawn smiled and remembered all the memories that came with the pictures. "May, you remember this one?" Dawn asked as she pointed to a picture of her, Ash, Drew, and May. May was on Drew's back while Dawn was on Ash's back. May started to blush and smiled.

"How could I forget that night? That was the night I lost my-" May stopped her sentence noticing what she was about to blab out. Dawn looked at her with a smirk on her face.

"Lost your what May?"

The brunette gulped before answering. "My.. wallet. The night I lost my wallet." She lied and started to blush. "This is a good day isn't it Dawn?" May asked sheepisly, changing the subject. Dawn started to laugh.

"Do you think I'm slow or something? I knew you had sex with him!" Dawn asked while closing her locker and locking her lock.

"How did you know?" May asked with wide eyes.

"The way you were walking the next morning and everytime you looked at him you would blush." She said while trying to hold back her laughs.

"I couldn't help it! It hurt to walk normal." May whined and crossed her arms as Dawn began to laugh. "Anyways... what about you and Ash?"

"No, not yet. I told him I wasn't ready for it, but we have done a few um.. things." Dawn blushed after saying this and smiled sheepishly. May put her hands on her hips and smirked.

"What things? Huh Dawn?" The bluenette's cheeks started to turn a scarlet red color.

"Uh.. hey was that the bell?" Dawn asked, even though they both knew the bell hasn't rung yet. She turned around and was about to walk away when, "OW!" Somebody, accidently, swung their locker door open hitting Dawn right in the face, making her fall back with May just barely catching her.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" The person apolgized, realizing that his locker door hit something.

"Dawn? Dawn? You okay?" May asked as she looked down on her friend. Dawn's eyes started to slowly close. "Wow! You must have really hit her hard."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dawn fluttered her eyes open, trying to take in her surroundings. She was in an office-like room but with nurse stuff like, posters with health facts and medicines. "Wh-what am I doing here?" She asked thought aloud as she realized she was lying on a bed. "And why does my head hurt so bad?" She rubbed her throbbing head. A woman with pink hair dressed in a white dress with a pink shirt underneath walked over to her with a smile on her face. She looked like she was about in her mid-twenties, early thirties.

"Are you okay now, dear?" The nurse asked.

"I guess. What happened? Why am I here in the first place?" The nurse smiled and pointed to someone who was sitting in the room with Dawn.

"This nice young man brought you down here on his back. He said when he opened the door to his locker you ran into it." It all came back to her now. She looked over to the boy who was sitting in the chair looking out the window. "You have to be more careful, sweetie." She smiled as Dawn sat up, rubbing her head. "Your forehead looks pretty red and there's a bump." Dawn sighed and looked at the boy. He looked too familiar.. like she seen or knows him from somewhere.

"On the way back to class, I'll ask him if we met before." Dawn told herself.

"Young man, you can go back to class since the bell rung. I called your teacher and informed them that you'll be late." The boy nodded his head and walked out the room.

"Can I go now too?" Dawn asked as she watched the famaliar boy walk out. She just wanted to leave so she could ask if they've met before.

"Yes, right after I give you some ice." Dawn smiled and waited for the nurse to bring her and ice pack.

The nurse went past the ice machine to sit at her desk and started typing something on her computer. Dawn sighed and rolled her eyes.

Seven minutes passed and the nurse was still typing something on her computer. "Um.. my ice?" Dawn said, annoyed. The nurse stopped typing and got up from her desk.

"Oh yes! I forgot." She walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a little clear bag. As she began to walk over to the ice machine, her phone started to ring. The nurse walked over to her desk and answered it. "Hello? Oh hi honey. Look, this isn't a good- tonight? I have something special planned for you." The nurse started to smile. "Yes, we can do it all night long."

_"Oh Arcues! Disgusting!"_ Dawn thought in her head. She rolled her eyes and coughed in her hand, making the nurse turn around and put a finger. She rolled her eyes and started to rub her head again. The pain was only getting worse.

...

Twenty minutes later..

"Bye. I love you too and don't forget to bring home the whip cream." With that she hung up the phone and turned to Dawn. "Sorry, that was my husband. We were talking ab-"

"Yea, I don't wanna know." Dawn said cutting her off. "Now can I just have my ice please? I'm late to class, it's half-way through now." Dawn really didn't care about being late to class today since it was the first day, they were only going over rules.

"Yes, I'll get that right now." The pink-haired woman went to ice machine and filled the little bag with ice. "Here you go." She handed Dawn the bag of ice.

"Do you know the name of the boy that brought me here?" The young girl asked. The nurse shook her head.

"No, sorry." A smile crossed her face. "Why? Interested in him?"

Dawn's face went red after hearing the question. "NO~!" She answered waving her hands in front of her. "I have a boyfriend! Ash, to be his name."

"Ketchum?" Dawn nodded her head and the nurse started to squeal. "Aw, he's such a little cutie! He's so handsome. He used to come here all the time for no reason. I think he was just trying to get out of class. You know you're very lucky to have him, he really likes you. Last year, everytime he came in here he'd talk about you non-stop. It was so cute!" Dawn blushed and smiled. "Well you better get going now. Becareful and please don't run into anymore lockers." The nurse teased as she opened the door to let Dawn out.

"Bye!" Dawn waved as she walked out the room. "Well.. thanks to her, I'll just have to wait to see that boy again." She sighed as she began walking back down the hallway. "I wonder what Ash is doing?" Dawn said to herself, as she walked pass the twelth grade hall.

"Why don't you turn around and see?" A famailiar voice said. Dawn turned around to the sound of the voice and automatically began to smile. Dawn ran up to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. "Too tight." Ash said as he was being choked. Dawn blushed and let go.

"Sorry Ash. I just missed you."

"Missed me? I just saw you two days ago." Ash said with a smirk. Dawn rolled her eyes playfully and entwined their hands together. She stepped closer to him, closing the distance.

"I still missed you.." She trailed off her sentence and began to kiss Ash. After a few seconds, she pulled away to much of Ash's dislike.

"I didn't want to stop, Dawn." Ash whined as he tried to kiss his girlfriend again. Dawn giggled and moved away.

"I have to get to class, as you can see I'm very late." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Why are you so late?"

"I'll tell you later." A red hue appeared on her cheeks as she remembered the incident and how Ash would most likely laugh when she tells him what happened. "By the way what lunch shift do you have?"

"I'm the last shift, um.. fourth." The blunette smiled. "Actually, me, Gary, and Drew, are all fourth lunch shift."

"Me too! I hope May does too. Well, anywyas Ash I gotta go and you better go to your class too." As Dawn was about to walk away Ash grabbed her hand and spun her back around.

"Wait.." He pulled her in for one last kiss. "Now you can go." He smirked and let go of her hand.

"Bye Ash. I'll see you at lunch." She smiled and walked to her locker, then to her class. Ash watched _her_ walk down the hallway and smiled.

Dawn took a deep breath before entering her class. Turning the door nob, she pushed the door and walked in. As soon as she entered her class, all eyes were on her but this didn't bother her because she knew everyone.

"Goodmorning Ms. Berlitz, are you feeling better?" Asked her teacher who was currently standing in front of her desk. Dawn nodded her head. "Good, now your friend May save you a seat right over there." She pointed to a seat on the right side of the classroom. Dawn, walked over to her seat and sat down beside May.

"Dawn, are you okay? I mean wooo, that look like it hurt."

"I'm fine May, my head just hurts really bad." Dawn rubbed her head and sighed. "You know that boy that hit me with his locker?" May nodded her head.

"The cute one? And I mean really really cute one?" May had a dreamy look in her eyes. "Yea, he's right over there." May turned her head to his direction.

"Oh my gosh! He's in our class? Do you know his name?"

"Yea, his name is Kai he's new to this school. Man, if I wasn't with Drew then he would deffinately have a chance." May gazed at the boy.

"Now, I remember him! May, I met him at the Poffin house like two years ago, when I was in ninth. I wonder if he remembers me?" Before May could respond, the teacher looked at the two young ladies and gave them a look for them to stop talking. "After class, were gonna go talk to him." Dawn whispered.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The first class went by extremely slow, since all they talked about were the rules. The bell finally rung, and all the students made their way out the door.

"Look for Kai!" Dawn told her friend as she scanned the students for the boy.

"Found him!" May chimed, as she pointed to the brown haired boy. They made their way through the eleventh grade students, and found their way over to Kai, who was standing next to their next class.

"Hi," Dawn smiled at the boy. He was looking at her with a curious expression. "don't you remember me?" Kai shook his head. May giggled and earned a glare from the bluenette. "I'm Dawn, you know from the Poffin house? A couple yeas ago?" The boy thought for a moment.

"How do you expect someone from two years ago to remember you?" May asked.

"Wait, I do remember you now. You were the one that helped me make the Poffins?" Dawn smiled as his memory began to come back. May pushed Dawn out the way and stood in front of Kai.

"Hey, I'm her wonderful bestfriend May. Nice to meet you!" The brunette smiled and gave him a wink. Kai blushed slightly.

"Don't forget you have a boyfriend, May. You know green hair? Thinks he's cool? Idiot?" Dawn smirked as she saw May's smile drop.

"I didn't forget. I'm just being friendly." Dawn rolled her eyes and turned back to Kai.

"So, is this your next class?" Kai nodded his head. Dawn took a look at the schedule in his hands. "Looks, like we have the same classes. Well except for when I have art."

"Cool." Was all Kai could say.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, the teacher to their next class, came out the classroom to greet his second block students. "Hello everyone. Look for your name on the desk, that will be your assigned seat." The teacher said as he wrote his name on the chalk board.

"I thought we were to old for assigned seats." A student said randomly as he sat in his seat and propped his feet up on the desk. The teacher simply ignored the boy's comment.

Dawn found her seat, which was located in the middle of the class. May sat in the front of the class next to the boy, that said the smart remark. Kai was still searching around for his seat, along with a few other students. Dawn sat her books on her desk and took out a pen and notebook. As she did this, she noticed the name on the desk next to hers.

"Hey Kai! You sit right here." Kai walked over to the desk, checking the name before sitting down. "Coincidence huh?" Kindly ignoring her statement, Kai took his seat and directed his attention to the teacher. Dawn did the same, well kind of. Her thoughts of her boyfriend started to cloud her mind, slowly blocking out whatever her teacher was saying.

"Hello class, my name is" The teacher pointed to his name on the chalk bord, "Mr. Sanders. I hope you all like your seats, because these are your seats for the year." May scoffed and rolled her eyes. She wasn't enjoying the person she was sitting next too at all.

The class went by pretty quick. Nothing exciting happened. Dawn and Kai didn't say anything else to eachother. May laughed every now and then at the boy she was sitting by, because he was making sly remarks to the teacher. The bell rung, and the students rushed out the door.

"Dawn!" May grabbed Dawn's arm, stopping her from walking into the crowd of students. Dawn's attention wasn't on her though, she was scanning the crowd. "Dawn?"

"Hm?" The blunette snapped her attention back to May.

"Who are you looking for?" May asked straight out. Then she narrowed her eyes.

"What? I was just looking for Kai." She replied normally.

"Mhm. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you like him or something." Dawn's eyes went wide.

"NO! I just think.. he's interesting."

"Interesting? Interesting how?"

"Uh.." Dawn looked around and then back at May. "Hey May, I'll see you after my art class." Dawn smiled and walked away, leaving May to just shake her head and smiled at her blue haired friend.

"Hello Dawn. Nice to see you again and to have you taking my class again." Mr. Greene greeted his favorite student as she walked in the door.

"Hi Mr. Greene. What are we doing today?"

"Um.. since this class is for the students who have been in art for three years, I won't have to go over any rules." Dawn relieved a sigh. She was sick of hearing a bunch of rules for one day. Mr. Greene chuckled. "I'll have you all start working on a painting." Dawn smiled and walked to her seat. The last student walked through the door and sat down. Mr Greene closed the door and went to the front of the classroom. "Hello everyone. I'm glad to have you all back for another year of amazing arts." He smiled while scanning the room of students.

"Before we start anything, I have to take the roll." Mr. Greene took out the list and began to check off the names of students that were present. "Now that, that's out the way. I can tell you about the project you have." The class groaned. Who wants a project on the first day of school? "Calm down. This isn't a take home project. It's only to be done in class. This project will take maybe a week, two weeks at the most. You'll be doing a painting of your favorite or of somebody you love." Dawn smiled. She already knew who she was going to be painting. Some one raised there hand. "Yes?"

"Can it be more than one person? Or like a person and a Pokemon?"

"Yes, it can." Mr. Greene answered.

"How will a painting take two weeks to finish?" A student asked.

Mr. Greene chuckled and put his hands in his pockets. "You didn't let me get there yet." Mr. Greene went into a closet and came back with a pretty big canvas. "This is why it'll take about two weeks. The painting has to be big and of course detailed with a lot of details. So this isn't a painting that'll be done in a couple days. And since I only have you in my class for forty-five minutes everyday, that adds to the two weeks. So if no one else has anymore questions.." He looked around the room and smiled. "I would like you all to line up to get your canvas."

"So, I'm guessing your painting a picture of Ash?" A voice said to Dawn as they stood in line. Dawn turned around to the girl and smiled.

"And of his Pikachu. I love them both so much."

"Awe~! That is so cute! It's like you two were made for eachother. I'd be heartbroken myself if anything happened to you two."

"The destiny of love is like a fortune found." Dawn and the girl turned their heads with a confused look on their faces.

"Huh?" The girl leaned her head to the side. "I swear the way you talk is a mystery."

"Mystery is better for the mind."

"Uh huh." Dawn turned around and recieved her canvas from the art teacher and took it back to her desk to start her art work. "Okay, where should I start.." She said to herself out loud.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Okay, class. That's all the time we have for today. Please put your canvas in my closet on the left side. Once you do that you can leave." Mr. Greene walked over to Dawn, who was still painting. "Dawn, you'll be late for your next class." He said observing her work.

"I have lunch next. And I just need to add a little more black to Ash's hair." She said dipping the brush tip into the black substance. "Okay, all done." She said with a smile. Dawn took a step back to see how she was doing so far. "Looks like a bunch of black spikes everywhere." This made the teacher laugh. "But, it's only the beginning. Once it's finished it'll be wonderful." Dawn squealed. She looked at the clock on the wall. "Oops, speaking of Ash.. I gotta go. Bye Mr. Greene." Dawn smiled and walked out the door.

"Wait, your canvas!" He shouted from his room. Dawn peaked her head in the classroom and smirked.

"Could you put that away for me? Thanks Mr. Greene! I'll see you tomarrow." Mr. Greene sighed and smiled.

"Young love.. ah I remember those days." He said to himself as he put away Dawn's painting.

Dawn walked in the cafeteria and looked at the lines. "I guess that's the price for being late." All four lunch lines were filled with hungry students. She'd be standing in the line for at least twenty minutes. "Guess, I'll just go- KAI!" She said a little to loud, causing a few people to look at her. She blushed and walked over to the boy. "Hi." She greeted him with a smile.

"Hey." Kai said while not really looking at her.

"Um, do you need somewhere to sit? You can sit with me and my friends. Come on." Dawn grapped his arm and led him to the table the group sits at. Everyone was already there except Ash. "Hey guys, this is Kai. Kai, this is Drew, Gary, and you already met May." Gary motioned for Kai to sit down.

"New dude! What's up!" Drew said as he flipped his hair.

"Nice to meet you, Kai?" Gary said as a question to make sure he got his name right.

"Yea, it's Kai."

"You don't talk much. You okay?" Drew asked.

"Gosh Drew. You want him to talk your head off when he doesn't even know you yet?" Dawn said in a offensive tone. Kai smiled and ate a fry.

"Chill Dawn. I was just kidding. No need to go all, I'm gonna kick your ass, on me." Dawn playfully rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, where's Ash?"

"Lunch line probably flirting with the lunch woman so he can get some extra food." Gary stated.

"You know that works." Drew said with a smirk. "Plus, we have the hottest lunch woman! Makes it even more enjoyable." May glared at Drew and punched him in the shoulder, making every one at the table laugh. "Ow! What was that for?" May just rolled her eyes and ate her lunch. "What did I say?"

"Drew, what didn't you say? Everything that comes out of your mouth is something your not supposed to say." Gary said. The girls, plus Kai started to laugh as Drew pouted.

"Were fun aren't we Ko?" Drew asked with a smile. Kai laughed and nodded.

"It's Kai by the way."

"Eh, who cares. We get nick names anyways. Well Ash does, anyway and he doesn't like it. See watch this." Drew turned his gaze to Ash, who was walking to the table with a tray piled with food. "Ashy-boy!"

"Don't call me that stupid name!" Ash snapped as he arrived at the table. Drew and the others started to laugh.

"See Kai, I told you he doesn't like it."

Ash looked at the new person, sitting in his usual spot right next to Dawn. Ash thought the boy looked famailiar, a little to famaliar. Dawn saw Ash looked at Kai.

"Ash, you remember Kai don't you? The boy we met in the Poffin house." That's when it all came back to Ash. He didn't like Kai that much after he saw Dawn and him talking in the Poffin house. Just a little jealousy, right?

"Yea, I remember him." Ash said, not to kindly. Dawn glared at him for a quick second. "So, where do I sit? Since he's in my seat.." Ash mumbled the last part. Kai over heard him and got a little nervous.

"You can sit here." As Kai was about to get up Dawn pulled him down by his arm.

"No. Ash, you can just sit across from me." Dawn smiled at Ash as he sat down beside Gary, and across from Dawn.

"Ash is gonna be pissed later.." Drew whispered to Gary. May pinched Drew, since she heard it.

"So Kai.." Dawn said, breaking the awkward silence that engulfed the table. "How's your shinx?" She asked remembering the cute little electice type.

"You remember him?"

"Of course I do. How could I forget him? He was so cute and cuddly." Kai chuckled.

"He's doing good. Getting into everything, but he's definitely good."

"Woohoo! He said a full sentence!" Drew beamed, earning 'your dumb' looks in his direction. Ash rolled his eyes and went back to eating his lunch, quietly. He was kind of mad.. or was it jealousy that was claiming him?

The rest of the lunch shift went by kind of weird, but it was covered up by the conversations the group had. May was talking/fighting Drew. Dawn was talking to Kai most of the time. And Gary and Ash were talking about something.

The bell rung, meaning the students had five minutes to get to their last class.

"Well, Kai, since we have the same class. We can walk together." Dawn said with a smile. May just happened to walk up when she heard her say that.

"Ah ah ah. I'll walk with him. Dawn, you have to go talk to your _boyfriend_, Ash. He was telling Drew he needed to talk to you." May explained. Dawn already knew what Ash wanted to 'talk' about. "Come on Kai. Dawn, I'll save you a seat in class." May said as she started to walk with Kai down the hall way. Dawn sighed and turned around, jumping by a surprise.

"Ash... you scared me."

"Sorry.. didn't mean to." He said sheepishly.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked, already knowing what was on his mind.

"About how, you let Kai sit in my seat and how you were all over him." Dawn rolled her eyes and crossed her eyes.

"Ash! Are you serious? Your mad over a seat? And I wasn't all over him! We were just talking."

"Yea, giving him more attention then me.." Ash mumbled loud enough for Dawn to hear.

Dawn narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "Are you jealous of him _again._ I was only being nice. I mean that was the only good conversation we had because last time we were talking, somebody scared him off."

"Whatever Dawn, you-" Dawn stopped Ash's sentence by kissing him.

"Ash, I love you. You have nothing to worry about. Your mines and I'm yours.. remember? I'm only yours." Ash smiled and hugged her.

"Okay, maybe I was just jealous. Sorry, but it's hard to watch your girlfriend-"

"Don't say flirting because I wasn't" Dawn said, interrupting his sentence. "Now be nicer next time, cause he'll be with us for the rest of the year. Okay?" Ash pulled Dawn closer to him.

"Fine. I will, I promise."

"Good." She smiled. "Oh yea guess what?"

"What?"

"In art we have this project. It's painting your favorite or some one you love. And guess who I choosed?"

"Um.. let me take a wild guess." Ash pretended to think. "Me?" He asked with a smile.

"Yup. You and Pikachu. Your're gonna love it when I'm finished."

"I know I will. Your're a really great artist.. by the way you still haven't taught me how to draw." Dawn started to giggle.

"I will soon, Ash."

"When is soon? It's been about what? Almost two years since you said that." Dawn rolled her eyes. "Speaking of two years.. it's been almost two years we've been going out and on our two year anniversary I have something special planned." He kissed her softly on the lips and pulled away.

"Awe, Ash that's so sweet." She smiled. "I'll be counting down those three weeks." She pulled him in and was about to kiss him but the bell stopped her. "Shit! I'll be late to class. By Ash. I'll see you in an hour." With that she ran down the hallway, leaving a smiling Ash.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Okay, is it just me or does that teacher seem like she's a bitch?" Kai asked with a laugh as he, May and Dawn walked out the class to their lockers.

"It's not just you." May said opening up her locker. Dawn giggled and opened her locker.

"You guys are mean. Maybe she was having a bad day or something." Dawn said placing some books in her locker.

"Yeah right. You know I actually heard about her. Drew said she's really mean."

"May, what teacher isn't mean to your boyfriend. I know they get annoyed by him." May giggled.

"Well, I guess that's true."

"You have an interesting boyfriend there, May. Never seen someone who has green hair." This caused Dawn to laugh.

"Yea, Drew is very special to me." May said with sparkles in her eyes. Kai looked at her and awkardly looked away.

"Ignore her. She does that whenever she thinks of Drew. So, it's normal for her." Dawn reassure Kai.

"Okay, good. So how long does she stay that way?" He asked, noticing that May still hasn't come out her trance yet. Dawn giggle and and slammed her locker shut, causing May to scream out of her trance. Dawn and kai laughed at the startled girl.

"Hey! That wasn't funny!"

"Sorry, May. But, you were all spaced out for too long." Dawn said.

"Jerks." May mumbled and closed her locker.

The trio walked down the hallway and out the doors.

"I'll see you two tomarrow." Kai said as he got on his bus.

"Bye Kai!" Dawn and May said in unison.

"That boy is so sexy!" May stated. Dawn nodded her head in agreement. The girls started talking, unaware that two boys were walking towards them.

"What the- Ash!" Dawn said as hes eyesight went black due to a pair of famaliar hands covering her eyes.

"How'd you know?" Ash asked removing his hands.

"Ash, you always do that." Dawn said giggling. "Are you walking me to my bus?"

"Of course I am. Don't I always? Well didn't I always?" He smirked.

"Bye May... nevermind." She turned away from her occupied bestfriend. "Come on Ash." She entwined their hands together and began to walk through the students to get to her bus.

"Well, here is your bus, my lady." Ash said while holding out his hand.

"Why thank you sir Ash." Dawn bowed and smirked. Ash laughed and hugged his girlfriend.

"Bye Dawn, I'll see you tomarrow. And I'll call you tonight, so make sure you answer."

Dawn pulled Ash in for a hug and a quick kiss. "I will." She got on the bus and sat in her seat..

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Dear Diay,_

_First day of school, 11th grade was pretty good :). Besides the fact that Ash was what I call 'Jealous' everything was fine :). Oh yea, remember that boy Kai? The one from the Poffin house some years back? Well, he goes to my school now and he's so nice! But also very, very, shy. But he'll get out of if by the end of the week. Hm.. that was pretty much today's events. Nothing exciting really happened.. soo... guess I'll wrap this up now (:_

_- Dawn :]_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Well yes, that mystery character was Kai :) I know you all remember him from the Poffin house, I mentioned it like 500 times -_- so you should know. lol. He's going to be a main character in this story xD and you'll know why later.. you could actually tell earlier in the story haha.<br>So how'd you like it for the first chapter? Hate it or love it please review :]  
>The next chapter probably won't be up for a while because.. I have this summer reading project that's due next Tuesday(First day of school) and Guess what? I haven't even started it. I don't even have the book yet. And the book is BORING and LONG -_- 275 pages of pure boredom, plus I have to do a powerpoint on it or something. So, I'll be working on that this week. And I still don't have internet. : Currently at my dad's house but I'm abouto to leave so yea... Love Sickness won't be updated this week either /: Sorry for those who are reading. I'm done rambling lol. Sorry if I bored you. But I promise I won't be gone for too long okay? I already have half this chapter done, so give me about next weekend? or sooner? Hopefully sooner. Anyways, Bye :)**

**R&R**

**-ANGEL :D**


	2. Friends: Nothing More Nothing Less

**Author's Notes: About time to update again huh? :) I'm happy too lol. I need a break from school, already! Geesh 5:45 everyday isn't helping -_- but I do love (high)School ;). Done talking.. go ahead and read..**

**Mistakes.. please let me know :)**

**Ash:18  
>Drew:18<br>Gary:18  
>May:17<br>Dawn:17**

* * *

><p>"Goodmorning Dawn." May chimed, as she walked up to her bestfriend who was currently at her locker.<p>

"Morning May. Hey Max." Dawn hugged May's little brother. May rolled her eyes at the attention Dawn was giving her brother. "What are you doing on this hall? You know if you get caught, you'll get in trouble." Max shot a glare at his sister before responding to Dawn.

"Well, May was supposed to drop me off on my hall. But, this idiot" He pointed to May, who just rolled her eyes. "came straight here." May closed her locker and turned to face her annoying little brother and her bestfriend.

"I forgot Max!"

"How could you forget when I was talking to you the whole time?"

"Oh, you were talking? I couldn't hear you. Maybe next time you should speak up." Max was about to attack his sister, but was held back by Dawn.

"Woah, calm down Max!" The bluenette said as she held back the small boy. "Besides, shouldn't you already know where your hall is? Weren't you here yesterday?" Max shook his head and got himself out of Dawn's grip since he calmed down.

"No. I was sick yesterday so I was unable to attend the first day." Max stated smartly. May rolled her eyes.

"Well, excuse me." Dawn said slightly rolling her eyes. "What happend to the cute, innocent little Max." She said under her breath. Max heard her.

"He grew up and lost interest in you." This made May started to laugh. Dawn glared at her and crossed her arms.

"You didn't have to say it that way, Max." Dawn said.

"How else was I supposed to say it? So cute and innocent?" He said copying Dawn's voice.

"I don't sound like that! Geesh May, now I see why you can't stand him." May was about to say something, but Max cut her off.

"Anyways, can one of you just walk me to my hall please?" Dawn and May exchanged glances, smirked, and looked back at the ninth grader standing in front of them. "Hello? It's getting late. I can't be late!"

"Since, you wanted to act like a little..." Dawn trailed off her sentence. "anyways, how about you find it yourself."

"What? No! It's upperclassmen all around here, just waiting on a little ninth grader, like me, to mess with and put me in trash cans!" Max shuddered at the thought. "Please! Just walk me to my hall! They won't mess with me if you're with me." Max looked at the girls with a cute, sad face hoping to convince them.

"Max.. your ugly! I'm not taking you." May said and walked off, leaving Dawn and Max.

"Fine.. come on Max." Dawn walked away mumbling. Max smiled with satisfaction and followed behind the blue haired teen.

...

"Here is your class Max. Come here everyday, in the mornings. Well for the next two weeks. After two weeks you won't have to come anymore, you'd just go straight to your second block class. Got it?" Max nodded his head. "Okay." Dawn walked away as Max entered his classroom.

"Hey Dawn!" A famaliar voice said. Dawn stopped walking, and turned around to smile at the brown-eyed boy. "Morning Dawn. Where are you walking to?"

"Hey Kai. I'm walking back to class. I had to bring May's little brother to his class." Kai nodded his head and started to walk beside Dawn. Before it could get _to _quiet, Dawn started a conversation. "So, how do you like RoseWood?" Kai thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, it's only the second day" Dawn smiled sheepishly. "but I like it so far. The teachers here are nice. Except the teacher we had for last block yesterday." Kai started to laugh, along with Dawn.

"Yeah, can you believe she was about to send me to the office just for trying to sharpen my pencil?" Dawn rolled her eyes at the thought. Kai started to laugh. "It's not funny Kai! I was getting very irrtitated with her."

"I could see it on your face that you were. I'm sorry but it was priceless." Kai started to laugh again, while Dawn pouted. Seeing Dawn pout, Kai stopped lauging. "Just think about it Dawn. It was funny! If it was me, or May I bet you would've been laughing." Dawn started to smirk. "See, your thinking about it now." kai said wile smiling.

"Maybe, it was a little funny but from my point of view it wasn't _that _funny."

"Well, from _my _it was hilarious." Kai smiled at Dawn as she rolled her eyes.

...

"Ash! Come here! I think you might want to see this." Gary yelled to his friend, while seeing something catching his eye quite well. Ash put up one finger, telling him to hold on. "Ash, you might want to come quick if you want to see your, uh, girlfriend." This made Ash run over to Gary in a fast pace.

"What are we loo- WHAT THE FUCK?" Ash shouted, earning a couple of heads in his direction, when he saw _his_ girlfriend walking with another boy. "Why is she walking with him? She does know that _I'm _her boyfriend right?"

"Woah Ash." Gary said while pulling Ash back. "Don't you think you're overreacting? They're just walking probably to their first class." Gary reassured his friend, but Ash wasn't buying it.

"Gary why would she be all the way down here, in the front of the school, if she already got here a while ago? She came back for him so they could walk together!" Ash said, jumping to conclusions. Gary put his hand on Ash's shoulder for comfort, but the heated boy just shook it off.

"How do you know that happened? She could have had to drop something off at the office, and Kai just so happened to be coming through the door and they began walking with eachother. Did you think about that, Ash?" Ash rolled his eyes.

"No! That's not-" Gary interrupted Ash.

"Look, do you trust her?" Ash shrugged his shoulders and Gary gave him a 'Really?' look. "Ash?" Ash sighed nodded his head. "Then you have nothing to worry about. You know Dawn is really friendly and nice. She's just being nice to him. So you can't get jealou-"

"I'm NOT jealous!" Ash cut in. Gary shrugged his shoulders and continued to talk.

"Anyways, as I was saying. You have nothing to worry about Ash. She loves you a lot and you love her a lot. I highly doubt that he is capable of breaking you two apart...unless you let it happen, because I know Dawn won't." Ash looked at Gary as if he couldn't believe what he said. "What?"

"What do you mean when you said unless 'I' let it happen?" Ash asked putting air quotations around I. Gary shrugged his shoulders and leaned on a locker.

"Like, you see how you overreacted on something this small? Just them two walking together?" Gary didn't say anything yet, in hope that Ash would say 'yes' but one never came. "Well, I could tell that, that almost ruined your relationship right there. Let's say Dawn almost fell, but Kai was there to catch her in his arms and you just so happened to walk up to that. You'd jump to conclusions, just like you did a few mintues ago and make a big deal over nothing. In other words, you'd let your jealousy take over and break up with her." Ash was about to say retort but Gary stopped him. "Don't even say you don't get jealous. I mean, Ash, it's not a bad thing really. Just means that your're afraid to lose her or you don't want to lose her. But, what you don't know is that, your're not going to lose her." Gary smirked knowing that he got through to his bestfriend. "So, think about what I just said and don't tell Dawn that you saw them two walking. Okay?" Ash nodded his head. "Good. The bell is about to ring so I'm going to class. See you in an hour." Gary turned away from Ash and walked the other direction to his class.

Ash watched as his friend walked down the hall, leaving him to his thoughts. The bell rung, interupting his thoughts. He shook his head and walked down the hall to his first class.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I left these two seats for you two." May said as Dawn and Kai sat in the desk on either side of her. "Dawn where are you coming from anyway? You were with me in the hall. But you left me." Dawn rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I had to walk _your_ brother to his hall, since his sister wouldn't do it." Dawn said. May rolled her eyes.

"If I were you, I would have let that little nerd find his way to the stupid hall."

"I would have, BUT, I wanted to stop by the senior hall to see Ash. But, after walking with Kai I kinda forgot and didn't remember until now, actually. " Dawn said sheepishly. May shook her head.

"How could you forget about your boyfriend? Guess Kai just has that effect on you." May mumbled, but loud enough so Dawn could hear her. The bluenette shot her a glare. "I'm just kidding but, really how could you forget about him?"

"I didn't forget about him. I just forgot to stop by to see him." May smirked and gave her a certain look. "You would've forgot too! Kai's funny and laughing at him just made me forget, momentarily. So it's not a big deal."

"Okay~ whatever you say." May ended the conversation as the teacher walked in and closed the door behind her.

The teacher began to write notes on the board for the class to copy in their notebooks.

"Dawn, can I use a pen?" Kai whispered. Dawn nodded her head and went in her bag to search for a pen. She pulled out a blue one and handed it to Kai. "Thanks." He smiled and began to write down notes.

May smirked to herself and shook her head..

...

"Study these notes tonight, you will have a quiz on them tomorrow." The teacher said as the bell rang. "Have a good day everyone. You can go." The class poured out into the hallway with the rest of the students.

"My hand is killing me!" May complained while she rubbed her throbbing hand. "I hate when teachers make you write a board full of notes. I rather them teach, no matter how boring it is."

"I agree. writing a whole bunch of notes is boring." Kai said.

"What? What are you two saying? Writing notes is better! I don't like when the teacher just talks for a whole hour about something I don't even know. It's boring and makes me sleepy." Dawn said with her point of view.

"You do have a point." Kai said with a smile. May smirked and rolled her eyes.

"You _would _agree." Dawn heard her and glared. "What did I do?" May asked innocently.

"Knock it off! You know what you're doing. It isn't like that! I'm happy with who I have."

"Dawn, I'm just playing. Take a joke."

"How can I take a joke if you keep doing it?" Dawn asked, getting slightly angry.

"Fine, I'm sorry I won't say anything else. I promise." May smiled innocently. Dawn rolled her eyes and nodded her head.

"You may come in everyone." The teacher walked out into the hallway and stood at the door greeting the teenagers as they entered the room. "Please, sit in the seats I assigned you yesterday." He spoke indirectly, meaning for it to go to one person who wasn't in their same seat. As the last student walked in the room, he closed the door.

"Another boring class." Kai whispered to Dawn, who just giggled in response.

...

"Okay, I'll see you two in forty-five minutes." Dawn waved to Kai and May and walked in the other direction to her art class. She sighed as she pushed her way through the students overflowing the hall.

"Well, hello Ms. Berlitz. The crowd is killing huh?" The art teacher asked with a smile. Dawn nodded her head and walked in the class to her seat, leaving the teacher laughing at the door.

"Alright class," He said while closing the door. "Go get your canvas out the closet and start on your painting immediately. Remember, someone you love is what you're painting. Make it beautiful, wonderful, breathtaking! Add every little detail to make your art perfect."

Dawn retrieved her canvas from the closet and brought it back to her seat to begin working on it, once again.

"Hm.. should I do his eyes or his face and then do his eyes?" She asked herself. Dawn thought for a moment and shook her head. "If I do his face and then his eyes, the colors will run together. But, if I do his eyes then his face.. I can paint around his eyes."

"Very good Dawn. This is why you are my top student in this class." Dawn's cheeks turned a little red.

"Thanks, but that wasn't hard to figure out. Epescially if your're in art 3." Dawn giggled and dipped the paint brush into the brown paint, before moving it to the paper.

"Yes, but most students wouldn't think about that. They would just paint the first thing that comes to mind, and you can't always do that."

"Right." Was all Dawn could say since she was lost in her art work. Mr. Greene smiled and walked away to observe someone else's work.

Dawn dipped the brush back into the paint and back onto the paper making an oval shape with the brush. She smiled seeing that the oval came out neat and straight, just like she wanted. After dipping the brush back in the paint she filled the oval with the brown substance, making it clear that is what an eye.

...

"That's the bell. I wish this class wasn't so short." Mr. Greene sighed as he stood up from his desk. "Put your canvas in the closet, leave your paint on the table and you can leave. I'll see you tomorrow everyone."

Dawn finished putting the last touches on Ash's face and smiled with satisfaction. She carried her canvas to the closet and headed for the door. "Bye Mr. Greene! See you tomorrow." The art teacher waved as his favorite student walked out the door.

"Man! These lines are ridiculous!" Dawn said as she saw the lunch lines. Deciding not to eat, she headed for the table where her friends sat everyday.

"Hey Dawn." May said before stuffing food in her mouth. Dawn giggled at her friend's eating habits and sat down beside her.

"Here, I got your lunch. I knew you wouldn't make it before the lines got long, so here you go." Kai pushed the tray to Dawn. She didn't know what to say at the moment. She looked at May, who looked away quickly so she wouldn't tempt herself to say something.

"Uh.. thank you Kai but you didn't have to do this. I'll pay you back-" Kai smiled and shook his head.

"Nah, it's fine! Don't worry about it." Dawn smiled and and bit into her pizza. "Glad I did it too, seems like you're hungry." Kai chuckled and start eating his own food.

A few minutes later Drew walked to the table with Gary. Drew sat on the other side of May, and Gary sat beside Kai.

"Hey guys." Dawn said once Gary and Drew sat down. Drew gave her a head nod and went back to talking to his girlfriend.

"Hey Dawn. Sup Kai." Gary then went into a conversation with Kai. Dawn looked around to see if she could see Ash anywhere in the lines.

"Looking for me?" A voice whispered in her ear. She smiled knowing exactly who it was.

"Hey Ash." She kissed him after he sat down, next to her. "Ash, you really eat too much." Dawn said after seeing the amount of food he had on his tray. He had Two slices of pizza, extra mashed potatoes, a chicken sandwhich, two peices of cornbread, and a juice.

"I can't help that I'm hungry." Ash smirked. Dawn rolled her eyes. "Hey Drew, hand me some..." He trailed off his sentence and shook his head, seeing that he was busy with May.  
>Gary, did you have any ketchup?" Gary shook his head.<p>

"Here, you can have mines." Kai handed Ash two packets of ketchup to which he gladly took. Oblivious to this, Gary looked at Ash not knowing how he would act towards Kai since Ash saw him walking with his girlfriend and overreacted.

"Thanks." Ash said with a smile that was half forced and half natural. He promised Dawn he would be nice to Kai and he was keeping that promise, especially now.

"Welcome." Kai went back to his conversation with Gary. Dawn smiled seeing that her boyfriend was making some effort of being nicer then yesterday. Ash opened one ketchup packet and squired the red substance on his chicken sandwhich.

...

The rest of lunch went on with idle chatter between the friends. The bell rung indicating it was time for everyone to head to their last class of the day. Kay and May were waiting for Dawn and Drew and Gary were waiting Ash.

"Just go ahead, I'll just be late to class." Dawn said trying to convince May and Kai to leave without her.

"No! You know that lady likes to bitch! And she's really gonna get on you now, since what happend with the pencil sharpening thing!" May explained, making Kai laugh. Dawn frowned remembering what happened. "So come on!"

"Fine! Give me few more seconds." Dawn turned back to Ash. "Like, I was saying.. you can't come today because I have to study for this stupid quiz I have tomorrow." Dawn rolled her eyes as she told Ash.

"I can help you study." Ash smirked. Dawn giggled and shook her head.

"No, because the last time you helped me 'study'," She put air quotaions around study. "we ended up _not_ studying and I failed that test." Ash laughed and held her hand.

"I'm sorry, that was kinda my fault." Dawn scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You can't blame the whole thing on me. You could of stopped me but you didn't."

"Dawn! HURRY UP! We have two mintues left." May said growing impaitent.

"Whatever Ash. Well, I better go. I'll see you in a little." Dawn turned around, but Ash spun her back around.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He smirked and Dawn smiled. His girlfriend leaned in and kissed him for a few seconds and pulled away. "Bye Dawn." Dawn smiled and walked away, towards an irritated May and Kai.

"Finally! Come on!" May grabbed Dawn's arm and ran down the hall with Kai behind them.

"Your late! Sign your names on the tardy list and don't ever be late to my class again or I will send you to the office." The teacher said as the trio walked in the class, panting. The teacher came back with the list and they all signed their names before going to their desks.

"Class, today you will watch this video, take notes, and write three paragraphs on what it was about. It's due at the end of class. If anyone talks, you will go to the office. I want it quiet in here." The teacher put in the video and walked to her desk.

"That lady needs a man in her life." May said while rolling her eyes and taking out a sheet of paper.

"You can say that again." Dawn said as she rested her head on her hand and sighed.

...

"Did you finish your paragraphs?" Kai asked May and Dawn as they walked out the school. May shook her head, as well as Dawn. "Me neither. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what was going on in the video."

"Me either. I only wrote notes and like three sentences for the paragraph part." May shrugged her shoulders.

"I write one paragraph." Dawn said.

"Well, looks like were all going to fail that assingment." Kai laughed. "See you two tomorrow." Kai walked away, to go to his bus leaving the two girls.

"Dawn! I swear he has a thing for you or something!" May said with a smiled on her face. Dawn shrugged and walked towards her bus.

"I don't care. I don't have anything for him. I have Ash!" She smiled and stopped at the bus doors.

"I'm just saying and you two get along great. You two have a whole six months, and you're already good friends or at least it seems that way." Dawn rolled her eyes shook her head.

"May, just friends! Why are you even saying this?"

"Saying this because- DREW! Dawn, I'll see you tomorrow." May ran towards her boyfriend and hugged him. Dawn smiled and got on her bus.

"_Just friends May... just friends.."_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Like it? Let me know :) Thank you too everyone who reviewed the first chapter :) really appreciate them!<br>Okay, I have a few things to say. First, make sure you guys remember the painting. Okay? ;) Next, I'm going to be honest, the next few chapters won't be that exciting.. it won't be boring though, promise that. But you know how dawn and kai's are supposed to become good friends(for those who read my profile) well, it's going to be that :) then at a certain point... BAM! Your story starts ;) so right now, things are gonna be laid back... :) not TOO laid back.. but ya know.**

**Well I think that's all I had to say.. soo update next weekend :) Bye everyone :)**

**-Angel ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Sorry for the late update, everyone. I swear this was going to be up last Saturday.. but my Laptop won't connect to my dad's internet for some reason /: and my brother was hogging the desktop. So that's why :(.. sorry! I hope this makes up for it..  
>And BTW.. a lot of you THINK Dawn will change the picture, well that's not what's going to happen. I knew you guys would think that xD lol.. but you'll see what'll happen ;)<br>This chapter isn't named yet because I can't think of one lol..**

**Mistakes.. shouldn't be any this time :D I have a beta reader. Aimless Vanity! :) Thank you for looking over this!**

**Dawn:17  
>Ash:18<br>Drew:18  
>May:17<br>Gary:18**

* * *

><p>"Dawn! The bus is coming down the street!" Johanna yelled from downstairs. Dawn was just getting out of the shower and was trying to figure out what to wear. After hearing her mother yell, a sudden panic overcame her but she calmed down and remembered,<p>

"Ash is picking me up today!" Dawn yelled, before continuing to look for something to wear. Johanna went back to the kitchen to finish her morning coffee. "Hm...okay Piplup, I need some help." The blue pokémon pushed his trainer out of the way and went into her closet, closing the doors behind him. "Uh...Piplup?" She didn't get a response just some rumbling around in her closet was heard. She moved closer to her closet to open it but the doors flew open and out came Piplup with clothes in his hand.

"Pip pip lup." The pokémon jumped on her bed, placing the clothes on the pink comforter. "Piplup?" He asked while pointing to the outfit he had picked out for her. Dawn couldn't understand what he said but she was fairly sure he had asked her if she liked it.

"Thank you Piplup." She said as she began to pet him. "Perfect for today." Piplup put his flippers on his hips in a cocky manner, obviously satisfied with himself. Dawn laughed and picked up her friend before walking towards the door. "Since it's time for me to get changed, you have to go." She smiled and placed Piplup outside her door. Piplup shrugged and went downstairs to the kitchen, where Johanna was, so he could eat. Dawn closed the door as he happily rushed down the steps.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"This is very cute. I can't believe it's my first time wearing this." She was examining herself in her mirror. She had on a belted floral dress that was in layers starting from the waist. A white cardigan went over it since it was a tube dress. Yellow flats and gold earrings helped with the outfit. Dawn put on the last item, which was her favorite of the outfit, to complete her look. A gold, heart-shaped locket, that hung around her neck. It was a Christmas gift from Ash, and if you were to open the locket, a sweet melody would play from it. The word 'love' was engraved in cursive letters inside the heart, and it was, without question, her favorite piece of jewellery.

"Now, hair and makeup." She picked up a brush and started to tame her 'bed head'. She brushed her hair downwards and to the side so she could make a side ponytail, leaving a few strands out on the side of her face. After getting her ponytail just right, which took a few attempts, she spiral curled the strands she left out, and her ponytail, the same way. Finishing up her hair, she headed for the bathroom to apply a little bit of makeup which consisted of mascara and one coat of eyeliner. "Okay, finished." She smiled at herself in the mirror before walking out of the bathroom and going downstairs.

"Good morning Dawn." Her mother said as Dawn walked into the kitchen. Her back was turned, as she was making more food for Piplup, but she had heard her daughter enter.

"Good morning mom." Dawn smiled and went in the fridge to get some orange juice. Johanna turned around and smirked behind Dawn's back. Dawn closed the refrigerator, and with orange juice in hand, turned around to her mother's smirk. "What?" Dawn asked awkwardly as she walked past her mom to go the counter. She had always hated when her mom gave her that look.

"Nothing... you just look very cute today." Johanna giggled and turned off the stove since the pokémon food was ready. Dawn rolled her eyes and poured the orange liquid in a glass. "I mean you look cute everyday but today-" Dawn cut her off by giggling.

"I know what you're going to say - 'It's different, you look extra cute, like your trying to impress somebody'." It was by no means uncommon for her mother to say this, since she said it almost every day. By now, Dawn was used to it, and simply stated,

"Did you forget I have a boyfriend? And besides I didn't know I was going to look this cute today." She did a twirl and smiled. "Piplup picked it out." She pointed to the water pokémon eating out his bowl on the floor. He was so lost in the delicious food pellets that he didn't even notice when his name was mentioned. Johanna smiled and shook her head.

"Dawn, I still don't understand how you can aspire to be a designer, if you don't even pick out your own clothes. It seems like Piplup always does it for you." Johanna laughed at her statements, causing Dawn to playfully roll her eyes.

"It's only sometimes, mom."

"Yeah, if 'sometimes' is a synonym for 'all the time'." Johanna laughed and picked the pot off the stove in order to pour the food into Piplup's bowl. As she regained her balance, after being close to the floor, she took another look at Dawn's outfit. "Dawn, isn't that dress too short?" Dawn looked down and shook her head. "And isn't that the dress that always-"

"Ash is here." Dawn said as she heard him beep his horn. She picked up her school bag and walked towards the door. "Bye mom! I'll see you after school." Dawn walked out the door, closing it behind her, and walked to the passenger side of Ash's car. She opened the door and got in, catching her boyfriend staring at her – his mouth slightly ajar. She smiled because she knew that look. It was his dazed look and she always knew how to break him out of it. She got close to his face and put her lips on his. He, obviously, snapped out of it because he started to return the kiss. She pulled away and smiled at him. "Good morning Ash. Have fun staring at me?" She teased. Ash blushed and put his foot on the pedal and started to back out of the driveway, while Dawn put on her seatbelt.

"In fact I did. I got something good out of it." Ash smirked while looking into the rear view mirror. "But, seriously, you look beautiful today. Well you do every day, but today it's like... wow." He looked at her, seeing the red hue on her face, before dragging his eyes back to the road. Ash started chuckle. "You still turn red after I call you beautiful." Dawn smiled shyly.

"I can't help it." She smiled and looked out of the window to avoid Ash's eyes.

"So Dawn," Ash put his hand on hers. "What are we doing this weekend?" he inquired as he turned a corner. Dawn didn't respond right away.

"Hm...You could stay at my house on Saturday?" She suggested. "My mom won't care... or at least I hope not." After saying this Dawn remembered the last time he stayed at her house, about a few months ago. He_had_to sleep in the guest room, making it no fun for either Ash or Dawn.

"I want to, but...I can't take not sleeping with you." Ash said as he turned the wheel making the car take another turn around a corner. Dawn looked at Ash and raised one of her eyebrows. "Wha- OH! I didn't mean like that. I meant like in the same bed... with you in my arms, you know, like that night during summer..." Ash stopped his nervous rambling thinking it was better if he stayed quiet. Dawn started to laugh.

"Calm down Ash. I know what you meant." Ash chuckled nervously and pulled into the school parking lot. He found a spot in the student parking zone and took the key out of the ignition, cutting off the car.

"We'll talk about it later." Ash winked and got out of the car. Dawn smiled and gathered her things and was about to open the door - but Ash beat her to it. Dawn smiled and put her hand in Ash's hand and stepped out the car.

"Thank you, Mr. Gentlemen." Dawn teased. Ash smiled and got hold of her hand and they started to walk towards the school building. As they walked Ash looked at Dawn's dress and frowned. "Isn't that dress to short?" Dawn stopped walking and faced Ash.

"No. What's with you and my mom." She rolled her eyes. "It's only, maybe, three or four inches above my knees." She smiled and started to walk, but Ash pulled her back.

"Uh, no. It's too short. I don't want other boys looking at you." Dawn smirked and rolled her eyes. "Dawn, I'm serious. I think it's too short." Dawn folded her arms and started to pout. She hated when Ash told her something was too short, it reminded her of her mother.

"Fine! I won't wear it again. Happy?" Ash smiled and nodded his head. "And by the way, I didn't pick this out. Piplup did." With that said she started to walk away but, again, Ash stopped her. He pulled her by her waist, bringing her back.

She started to tense up as she felt Ash's hands make their way to her backside and under her dress. "Uh... Ash. What are you doing?" She felt her dress being tugged, bringing her closer to Ash. "Uh... Ash?"

"Calm down. I was fixing your dress. It was up in the back... I could see your uh...panties." He smirked behind her back.

"Thank you Ash." Dawn's cheeks slightly flushed. "Um...you can remove your hands now."

"Do I have to? You know you want them there."

Dawn smiled internally - she couldn't disagree with that part. "Whatever Ash. Come on, or we'll be late." She grabbed one of Ash's hands, from under her dress, and started to walk towards the school.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Do I have the right boyfriend in there?" Dawn smiled and opened her locker. "You're being very gentlemen-like today." Ash smirked and leaned on a locker beside hers. "Opening the door for me, fixing my dress, and walking me to my locker? If I didn't know any better then I'd say I have the wrong boyfriend." Dawn started to laugh.

"I can't be nice to my girlfriend?" Ash teased. "Or do you want me to be aggressive?" He winked at her making her scoff. "Just kidding Dawn." He chuckled and stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. Ash looked at the pictures decorated in her locker. He smiled seeing that most of them were him and Dawn. "I remember this one." He pointed to the picture of Ash tickling Dawn. "I beat you up too!" He started to laugh.

Dawn turned to face him. "You only won because you cheated! You weren't allowed to tickle me. But, I had you in a headlock before that." Dawn started to laugh at the look on Ash's face. "Yea, I thought so." She turned around to close her locker and then back to face Ash.

"Whatever. When I come over this weekend, we're having a rematch." Ash said with a confident grin on his face.

"Fine. Whatever you want. But don't get mad when I beat your.." She moved closer so she was inches from his face. "A-" The bell cut her off from saying the last word.

"I see you couldn't finish that sentence. Even the bell knows that it's not true." Dawn rolled her eyes and moved around Ash.

"Whatever, we'll just see on Saturday. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't want to be late." She kissed his cheek and walked into her first class. Ash smiled and watched her walk away, before leaving to head for his own class.

...

"Dawn! What took you so long? I thought you weren't coming to school; you're always here early." May said as Dawn sat down at the group table with Kai and May. "So where were you?" May asked, waiting for a good answer.

"Ash gave me a ride to school. May, why are spazzing out on me?"

"Because... I don't know. I think that little nerd put something in my apple juice this morning. I've been hyper since I left my house."

"It's true." Kai added. "She's been talking non-stop about anything and everything." Dawn started to laugh and looked at Kai.

"Yea, I'd say she's a bit out of character today. It's always funny to me though." She calmed down her laugher and noticed Kai wasn't saying anything, just staring. Staring at _her_. To say this made her feel uncomfortable would be an understatement. "Kai?" She waved her hand in front of his face to try and wake him from his trance. "May?" She turned to look at May but she was asleep. "Figures..." She rolled her eyes and turned back to Kai. He was_still_staring at her. "Kai? Yoohoo~? Anybody in there?"

"Dawn?" Kai blinked and shook his head. "Wow, you look... pretty." He put his hand over his mouth, not meaning to say that out loud, especially not to her face. Dawn's cheeks turned red. "Uh...sorry about that. I was a little, uh, out of it." He blushed and rubbed the back of his head. Dawn gave him an awkward smile.

"Erm, thanks for the compliment." She turned away from Kai. '_Aw, he called me pretty. So sweet...but I'm glad May didn't hear that.'_

"I told you Kai likes you, he called you pretty, Dawn." May whispered in her best friend's ear, making Dawn jump slightly. Dawn rolled her eyes and put her head on her desk.

"Alright class, I hope you studied the notes I had you to copy from yesterday because like I said, you will have a quiz today. It's one hundred questions on the quiz." Every student in the class groaned. "I know it seems like a lot but, it's not. Most of the questions are repeated, but are worded differently. So if you pay attention..." The teacher started to pass out the quizzes to everyone. "... then you'll realize you already answered that question."

"Clear your desk everyone. You have the whole block to complete the quiz. Some are multiple choice questions and some you have to explain an answer. If I catch anyone talking, then I'm going to assume that you're cheating, take your paper and throw it away. You will have a zero in the grade book if that happens. You may begin." The teacher looked around at the class before sitting at her desk.

Dawn looked at the quiz._'First question. Why did the legendary pok_é_mon of the Unova region, split into two separate Pokémon_: _Reshiram and Zekrom?'_Dawn thought about her answer before writing it. '_There was an argument between the two twin heroes and the dragon pok_é_mon split into two seperate po_ké_mon. One being Reshiram who sided with the older brother, and the other being Zekrom, who sided with the younger brother.'_

"Psst. Dawn, what's number one?" May whispered. Dawn moved her paper over so May could see her answer and copy it down. "Thank you." Dawn nodded her head and looked at the teacher to make sure she wasn't looking.

'_The Village Bridge was constructed after.."_Dawn looked at the answer choices. "May, do you know number two?" Her best friend nodded and moved the paper towards her. The answer was C._'the local river burst its banks, flooding the settlement that stood there previously.'_"Ugh, this test is long." Dawn complained, as she flipped through the many sheets of paper.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Alright class, finish up your last question and hand me your quizzes on the way out. Tomorrow you will get it back and you can see your grade. We will also go over the quiz. Have a good day everyone."

The three friends walked over to the door, to hand their teacher the quizzes and head to their next class together.

"Did you guys find that quiz hard?" asked May, out of curiosity. She had had trouble answering the majority of the questions, since she did very little studying the previous night.

"It was okay. I knew most of the questions since Ash and I talked about the Unova region the other day. He knows a lot about it, which helped a great deal." Dawn smiled and walked to the door of the next class with May and Kai behind her. "What about you Kai?"

"Easy!" Kai replied with in a cool tone. "At my old school we studied Unova and how it was created, I pretty much remembered everything. Unova is really fascinating; I'd love to visit there one day." Dawn nodded her head in agreement.

"Me too Kai! Hey maybe one day we could visit there together. It'd be fun." Dawn started to giggle.

"Yeah. Hey, I'll take you up on that offer."

"Fine, then I guess we're going to Unova one day." Dawn smiled and turned t o face May, who was smirking. "You wanna come when we go to Unova?" May smiled and shook her head before leaning closer to Dawn to whisper:

"Nope, I wouldn't want to ruin your honeymoon." Dawn scoffed and pushed May away.

"I can't believe you just said that! How many times do I have to tell you," Dawn moved closer to May so Kai wouldn't hear, or deduce what they were talking about. "I don't like him." She back away from her friend. "So stop with the jokes."

"Alright, fine. It's just fun messing with you. Besides what best friend, doesn't tease her best friend about another boy?" May joked.

"Uh, me! I don't tease you!"

"That's because I'm not all buddy buddy with another cute boy. Well, not like you are at any rate." May stated. Dawn rolled her eyes and walked into the classroom, ending the whole conversation.

When she got in the class, Kai was already sitting down. Neither Dawn, nor May, had noticed him walk around them and into the classroom while they were talking.

"You and May talk a lot." Kai said with a sly smirk as Dawn took a seat next to him. Dawn rolled her eyes, remembering the conversation they had just had.

"Yeah, May talks a lot... a little too much for my liking."

"I heard that!" May said from a few rows up. Dawn ignored her and took out a notebook and a pen.

"Good morning class." The teacher greeted as he walked through the door. "How is everyone this morning?" He got no response. "Okay then, I'll just take that as 'good'. Well, today we will be discussing the type advantages of pokémon. I know you all already know type advantages but, I have to go over them again with you. So with that said I would like everyone to listen up."

Dawn sighed, this was going to be a long class for her.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Kai, what number are you on?" Asked Dawn as she was rushing to finish her class-work, since the bell rung a few seconds ago. She was on question number ten out of twenty questions. She was so far behind, because she and Kai had spent the entire lesson joking around; ignoring the work entirely.

"Fifteen." Kai said, trying not to smile. He knew Dawn was behind because of their antics all lesson.

May got up from her seat and handed her work to the teacher. "Hurry up you two or you'll be late for your next class." May warned. "How many do you have left, Dawn?" Dawn held up seven fingers. "What about you, Kai?" Kai held up three fingers.

"Go ahead May." Dawn told her. She knew it would be a few more minutes before she finished her work and she didn't want May to be late. "I'll see you at lunch." May waved and walked out of the classroom leaving Dawn, Kai, and the teacher to themselves.

"Are you two almost finished?" The teacher asked. Both teens nodded and continued to work. "I'll give you three more minutes because I don't want you to be too late to your next class. You should be finished anyway." The teacher said, as he remembered scolding them during the class.

"Alright, I'm done." Kai said as he closed his notebook and put his pencil away.

"Wait for me. I have two more left." Dawn pleaded. In a matter of minutes she_finally_finished.

The two teens handed their work to the teacher and walked out the class. Usually Kai would go the other direction to his class, since he and Dawn had a different class at this time, but he decided to go the long way so he could walk Dawn to her art class.

"Kai, where are you going? Your class is down that way." Dawn smiled and pointed behind her, in the opposite direction to where they were heading. Kai smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm taking the long way. I can walk you to class and then go to my class."

"But you'll be late." Dawn protested. She wasn't particularly comfortable with the current situation. Was May right about Kai liking her?

"I'm already late, so it won't make a difference." Dawn giggled and nodded.

The walk to Dawn's class was silent, but not particularly bad – It was more a comfortable silence than anything else. "Bye Kai. Thanks for walking with me, I'll see you at lunch." As she was about to walk in her class a sudden nervous feeling came over her as she felt Kai pull her back by her wrist.

"Um, Dawn...your um, dress is..." Kai blushed as he tried to get out the last part.

"Uh..." Dawn didn't have a clue what he was trying to say. He thought it was easier for him to do it rather than say it, so Kai moved his hand to Dawn's backside, being careful not to touch her butt, but failed, and fixed her dress in the back.

A blush spread across Dawn's cheeks when she felt Kai's hand touch her. Now she understood what he was trying to say. "T-thank you." Dawn said quietly. She was feeling awkward, but was thankful that Kai saved her from some embarrassment.

"You're welcome." Kai's face was just as red as hers. "I'll see you at lunch." He said and walked away, wanting to vacate the scene before things became too awkward.

Dawn nodded and walked into her class, her face red. The blue-haired girl walked to her teacher's desk and handed him a late pass that excused her for being late.

"Dawn, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Dawn nodded her head and cleared her throat before smiling and speaking.

"I'm okay, just a bit surprised." With that she walked to the closet to retrieve her canvas and walked to her desk._'And isn't the the dress that always..'_Dawn thought about what her mom was saying this morning then it hit her._'This dress always rises. That's why I never wore this.'_Dawn remembered and scolded herself._'So embarrassing.'_She thought as she analyzed her painting so far.

"Hm... I could paint Ash's shoulder, with Pikachu on it." Dawn smiled, deciding that she was going to do just that. She dipped the paint brush in blue paint, for his shirt, and traced the brush on the paper making his shoulder.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Alright class, that's it for today." The teacher said a few seconds after the bell rung, indicating that it was time to switch classes or go to lunch. "You know what to do, put your canvases in the closet and I will see you next lesson."

Dawn examined her art work. She smiled, loving her work. So far she had Ash's head and shoulders, with Pikachu on his right shoulder. Dawn took her canvas to the closet, said her goodbyes to Mr. Greene and walked out of the class to head for lunch.

When she reached the cafeteria, she looked around to see which line was the shortest.

"Dawn!" A voice called her name. Dawn looked in the direction of the voice and smiled, seeing her boyfriend waving for her to stand in line with him. Dawn walked over to Ash and hugged him. "How's your day going, beautiful?" Dawn giggled and blushed a little at Ash's compliment. "And you're still blushing." Ash teased.

"Whatever, Ash. Like I said, I can't help it." Dawn smiled and walked up to the register to buy her lunch.

"I'll pay for you Dawn." Ash smiled and handed the money, for his and Dawn's lunch, to the lunch lady.

"Aw~. You're my favorite couple." The lunch lady squealed after putting the money in the register drawer. "I think it's sweet when a boy pays for his girlfriend." The lunch lady winked at Dawn, causing her to smile nervously.

"I'll do anything for her." Ash smiled and walked away with his arm around Dawn.

The couple walked to the table where May, Drew, Gary, and Kai sat. Ash sat down beside Gary and Dawn sat beside Ash, right across from Kai. A small tint of red showed on Dawn's face when she made eye contact with Kai, as she remembered the feeling of Kai's hand on her backside.

"Dawn, are you okay?" May asked when she noticed Dawn's face getting brighter. May smirked and winked at her, like she knew something. Dawn rolled her eyes and made a mental note to talk to her later.

"Hey Kai, have you seen any girls you're interested in yet?" Drew asked as he flipped his green hair. Kai thought for a moment, before shaking his head.

"No...Well actually, I saw this one girl yesterday. She has long pink hair." Kai stated. Drew thought before he said something. Long pink hair was familiar to him.

"That's Soledad." Ash said after he swallowed his food.

"How do you know?" Dawn asked, curiously.

"Because she's the only girl in the school that has pink hair."

"Don't and I repeat DON'T mess with her! She's crazy!" Drew said with his eyes wide. May giggled and remembered how Soledad was crazy over Drew – something that May had put a stop to.

Kai laughed. "How is she crazy?"

"She was crazy over Drew. I'm talking genuinely obsessed with the idiot." Gary said with a small chuckle. Drew glared at him and flipped his hair. "Seriously May, what do you see him?" Gary started to laugh along with Dawn, Kai, and Ash.

"She loves me, because I'm Drew! Everybody loves me." Drew said with a cocky grin on his face.

"Yeah, don't push it Drew." May warned then turned her gaze to Gary. "So, where's Giselle? I haven't seen her around in a while - are you still avoiding her?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about her. What's happened now Gary?" Dawn asked.

"She's... I don't know. She thinks I'm cheating on her, so I broke up with her. She ran away crying and I haven't seen her since." Gary took a sip of juice, appearing extremely nonchalant about the whole thing.

"You didn't try to tell her that you weren't? Or were you?" Kai asked.

"Nope, if she didn't believe me when I said it then what's the point? I could say it once or I could say it a thousand times - it wouldn't matter, so I just said forget it. I was done trying."

"But you didn't have to just break up with her like that. You're the boy! You're supposed to work things out." Dawn said while rolling her eyes.

"Woah! Woah! What?" Ash said and looked at his girlfriend. "He had the right to. I mean she didn't believe him or trust him. A relationship isn't a relationship without trust. And if she genuinely cared about him then she would have trusted him."

"So, if you and I were in the same situation, you would just break up with me instead of trying to work things out?" Dawn asked.

"I guess. Well maybe, especially if I promised I wouldn't cheat and you still didn't believe me, I'd give up. I might not be as blunt or harsh as Gary, but I'd give up." Dawn rolled her eyes, she did not like his theory at all.

"I agree with you two." Drew said. "Why try if she refuses to trust you? It would just be a waste of time for the both of you." stated Drew. "What do you think Kai?"

"I would try to work things out first. Even if she doesn't trust me, I'll do what I can to earn that trust. If you don't have trust, then build it." Dawn and May smiled at Kai. "Especially if you like her a lot, you should at least try. So Gary, why don't you try to get her to trust you?" Before Gary could answer, the bell rung.

"Kai, we'll talk later" Gary said before he stood up from his seat and walked out the cafeteria. The rest of the group rose and walked out of the cafeteria.

"Some interesting conversation we had in there." Dawn said while vaguely rolled her eyes. "Ash, would you really just give up?" She asked hesitantly. She felt compelled to ask that question, because in all honesty, Ash's response had surprised her. Ash simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know but you have nothing to worry about, Dawn, because I know that'll never happen to us. I trust you and I know you trust me." Ash smiled and brought her in for a hug.

Dawn wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and smiled. "I love you Ash."

"I love you too, Dawn." Ash put his finger under Dawn's chin to lift her head up, and kissed her.

"DAWN! You're gonna be late for the next class so COME ON!" May yelled. Dawn cursed in her head at May, for ruining her and Ash's little moment.

"I'll see you in a little while Ash." Dawn smiled and walked away from her boyfriend and walked towards May and Kai.

"Hurry! We have two minutes and I hate that teacher!" May started to run down the hall.

"May, wait!" Kai yelled as he and Dawn started to run after her.

She was dreading the prospect of being late to Mrs. Saunders' class.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I can't believe she was nice today!" Kai said, as he, Dawn, and May headed out of the school building.

"Her husband gave her some attention last night; that's why she was nice and cheerful today." May said and began to giggle at her own joke.

"You just might be right." Dawn said with a giggle. "Anyways, I'll see you guys later!"

"You're not taking the bus?" May asked.

"Ash is taking me, he got his car fixed."

"Oh, well in that case I'll see you tomorrow and..." May leaned closer to Dawn's ear and whispered, "...how did it feel to have Kai's hand on your butt?" May moved away and winked. Dawn's face went red. "Bye Dawn!" May smiled and walked away.

"How does she..." Dawn shook her head and started to walk to Ash's car.

"There you are." Ash said as his girlfriend got in the car and put on her seatbelt.

"Sorry, I was talking to May." Ash smiled and nodded his head. He backed out the parking space and was soon out the school parking lot.

The ride to Dawn's house was quiet. Ash pulled into her driveway and unlocked the door. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Dawn smiled and leaned over to give Ash a quick kiss, before pulling away, but Ash wasn't about to let that happen. What was supposed to be a quick kiss turned into a make-out session. Finally, after seven minutes Dawn was able to pull away.

"Mmm.. that was fun." Ash smiled. Dawn giggled and put her hand on the door handle.

"I'll see you tomorrow Ash." Dawn got out the car, waved to Ash as he pulled out the drive way and walked inside her house.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Er, how was that? Not much excitement, I know. But it'll pay off in a few chapters ;). Can you guys kinda see Dawn and Kai's friendship starting up more? Or am I lacking it? Let me know please. Oh and I haven't forgot about the diary.. I'll put one in the next chapter. Um, I haven't forgot about Lucas or Misty either.. I'm trying to figure out how I can put them in the story : because I don't want to just forget about them.. but I might have to because I can't think of anything yet. After chapter 6 the days won't be in order. Like the first 5 chapters will be them in school, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. So chapter 7 or 8 will be skipped about a week up, including later chapters. Not all will be that way though, I'm just doing that so I won't have to have like 300 something chapters of school xD lol. So yea... I think that's all I had to say but I do have a question O_o...**

**Has anyone ever watched Meerkat Manor? o_O Just curious because I used to love that show lol. **

**Wait one more thing to say.. Chapter 6 will be Ash spending the night at Dawn's house ;) Pearlshipping chapter :D hehe anyway, I'm done now **

**- Angel ;)**


	4. A Phone Call

**Author's Notes: Sorry about the late update everyone! Last week I went to a Virginia Tech football game -.- so I wasn't able to update...but this SHOULD really make up for it :) I'm serious this time. **

**Thank you AIMLESSVANITY for beta reading it :D! **

**Also thank you to everyone that has reviewed my story ^_^ **

**Ash: 18  
>Dawn: 17<br>May: 17  
>Drew: 18<br>Gary: 18  
>Kai: 17<strong>

* * *

><p>"Ugh..." Dawn groaned sleepily, as she awoke to the loud beeping noise of her alarm clock. She threw an arm from under the covers and hit the snooze button, before turning over on her side; putting the covers back over her head. She went back to sleep, and in another ten minutes the alarm clock started to beep again, this time louder. "Stupid alarm!" Dawn hit the snooze button once more and tried to go back to sleep, but her Mother soon berated her for doing so.<p>

"Dawn! Wake up or you're gonna be late for school!" Johanna said as she came into her daughter's room, having heard Dawn's alarm go off twice and concluding that she was simply hitting the snooze button. Dawn groaned and hid her head under the covers after her mother opened the blinds, letting the sun's rays peek through, illuminating the room.

"Get up Dawn!" Johanna said in a warning tone. She walked over to Dawn's bed and pulled the covers from over her. Dawn cursed under her breath and opened her eyes to see her mom glaring at her.

"Mom! I'm so sleepy! Can I skip school today or just go late?" Dawn said while yawning. "I don't think I'll have the energy for school today." Johanna sighed and shook her head.

"No. It's not my fault you stayed up until five thirty in the morning talking to Ash." Dawn's eyes widened after her mom said this. "Yeah, that's right. I heard you laughing and giggling all night - you sounded like a little girl." Dawn's face started to turn red. She had forgotten how thin the walls were, and that you could hear just about anything. "Right, now get up. I'll just take you to school today." With that said, Johanna left Dawn's room, closing the door behind her.

"Man!" Dawn sighed in exasperation, and threw the covers back over her head.

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"Bye, sweetie, try your best to stay awake in class." Johanna laughed as Dawn gathered her stuff and got out the car. Dawn tried to roll her eyes, but instead she just sighed, looked at her mom and pouted. "You'll be fine, honey, just six hours and fifteen minutes."

"What ever you say Mom." Dawn groaned, shutting the door before walking up to the school building and entering through the doors. Dawn weaved her way through the sea of students trying to get to her locker. "AAH!" Dawn screamed as someone pulled her around a corner, by her arms. As she tried to get off of the unknown person's grip, they started to laugh.

"Calm down, Dawn. It's just me." Dawn stopped moving around and turned around to see her boyfriend with an innocent grin on his face. "Sorry if I scared you." He put his arms around her, but she pulled away.

"Ash, that wasn't funny! I could've had a heart attack or something! Don't ever do that again!" Dawn growled. Ash looked at her with a hurt expression on his face. She had never gone off on him before, well not for something as simple as this.

"Geesh Dawn, I'm sorry. I was just playing; I didn't think you would take it so seriously." Dawn saw that he looked hurt and quickly held his hand. She knew she didn't mean to do that, and she knew why she did it...

"I'm sorry, Ash. I'm just irritable this morning." Ash smiled and brought her in for a hug. She smiled in his chest, feeling so comfortable that she could go to sleep right there.

"Now, why is my girlfriend so irritable, this morning?" He asked after he kissed her. Before she answered, she yawned – something which Ash caught onto. "Looks like somebody's sleepy." Dawn giggled and nodded her head into his chest.

"I didn't really get to sleep. I only got about two hours of sleep." She said and closed her eyes. Ash smirked and shook his head.

"That must explain the little bags under your eyes." He started to laugh, earning a disapproving groan from Dawn. "Don't worry, they're not bad at all. But why didn't you get any sleep? What were you doing all night?" Ash asked.

Dawn yawned once more, and kept her eyes shut. "I was on the phone with Kai until almost five thirty." Dawn mumbled, by loud enough for Ash to hear. Ash raised one of his eyebrows, trying to figure out if what he heard was correct.

"Wait, you were on the phone with... Kai?" Dawn, sleepily, nodded. "Until five thirty?" Dawn nodded again and pulled away from Ash. Ash gritted his teeth together. Nothing but anger and jealousy was building up inside of him. He didn't like the fact that Dawn had spent the whole night on the phone with another boy... especially since that boy was Kai.

"Ash, I'll see you at lunch." Dawn turned around and started her journey to her locker, before class started.

"How's it going Ashy boy?" Gary greeted as he walked up behind Ash. Ash turned around with an expression of pure fury plastered on his face. Gary took notice and sighed. He knew it had something to do with Dawn because he saw her walking away. "What's wrong Ash?" Gary asked in a boring tone. He thought it was just Ash's jealousy taking over him again, or that Dawn had just pissed him off, but he doubted that the latter had happened.

"What the fuck, man! Dawn just told me that she was on the phone with Kai until five thirty this morning!" Gary's eyes widened - even _he_ was surprised by that.

"Wait, wait, hold on. Five thirty?" Gary asked to make sure he heard correct. Ash nodded his head. "Woah~! Um... wow. I can see why you're jealous Ash." Gary rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of a reason on why they would have been on the phone that late.

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!" Ash shouted. Gary smirked and shook his head. "I'm just pissed off! Doesn't she know that_I'm_her boyfriend,_**not**__Kai_! I can't even remember the last time she called me with a decent conversation!" Ash said as he slammed his locker shut.

"Alright, calm down Ash. Let me ask you this, do you think she's cheating on you with him?" Gary crossed his arms across his chest and leaned on a row of lockers.

"Gary, to be honest.. I don't even know! I feel like she's starting to like him or something. Did I tell you about the other night? We were on the phone and she started texting Kai... WHILE _I_ WAS TALKING TO HER!" Ash said, seething.

"How do you know it was Kai?"

"She told me! Gary, that actually made me mad... and kinda hurt." Ash sighed and ran his fingers through his black, messy hair. "Gary, I've got a really bad feeling about this. It's like she's talking to him more and more each day, and with him around the whole year... I don't know if we're gonna make it. What if she breaks up with me for him?" Gary stood up straight, from his position, stood in front of Ash and gave him a good slap to the face. "What the fuck was that for?" Ash asked, rubbing his hand on his, now red, face.

"Because, Ash! You're talking so crazy! Dawn would NEVER break up with you for him. I know you're mad about this, but don't put the negative thoughts in your head, Ash. I know Dawn, and you know Dawn, and I think we both know how much she loves you. So much that she won't let anyone come between your relationship." Ash nodded, prompting Gary too keep talking. He loved hearing Gary's comforting and promising talks.

"Alright, Ashy, I'm not gonna lie.. I think she might start to have a crush on him after a while..." Ash tensed up as Gary said this. "...But it won't be anything you have to worry about, because like I said her love for you is too strong, Ash, you know that. I can see why you're jealo-" Gary stopped his word because he knew Ash would overreact on it. "'mad' but try not to be because you have nothing to worry about. I mean come on, you're Ash Ketchum for crying out loud! Any girl at this school would kill to take Dawn's place as your girlfriend." Gary started to laugh. "And we all know that Dawn isn't giving that title away. Am I right or am I right?" Gary smirked. Ash smiled and nodded his head.

"You're right. But, I just can't help that I get mad. I don't like her talking to another guy... especially_him_." Ash balled up his fist. Gary noticed this and rolled his eyes.

"Calm down Ash! What did I just say?"

"Sorry, sorry. He just gets under my skin." Ash said.

"Don't let it get back in your head. When you see her talking to him, just tell yourself that you're her boyfriend and will always be until marriage." Ash widened his eyes at Gary, making him laugh. "Well, you two do plan on getting married right? Or are you going to let Kai get in the way?" Ash scoffed and shook his head.

"Dawn is mine forever, no matter what!" Ash smiled.

"Good, keep it that way Ashy Boy! Now I'm going to class, I don't wanna be late today." Gary said a few seconds after the bell rang. He turned around and walked away. Ash smirked and walked to his next class, thinking about what Gary had said.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hey Dawn." May greeted as she saw her friend enter the classroom and sit at her usual seat. May took notice on how tired Dawn looked and frowned. "Why do you look so sleepy?" May asked. She had never seen Dawn lookquite so exhausted before. "You have bags under your eyes, Dawn!" May pointed out, making Dawn exhale deeply.

"I only got two hours of sleep." Dawn yawned and laid her head on her desk. She looked at Kai's desk, but didn't find him sitting there. She smiled and giggled to herself.

"Just two hours? Geesh, what were you doing on all night?" Dawn yawned before giving her friend another answer.

"I was on the phone with Kai until five thirty this morning." May narrowed her eyes skeptically and tilted her head, thinking 'was that really what I heard?'

"You're serious?" May asked, and Dawn nodded her head. "Ha! I knew it!" May smiled. Dawn lifted her head up from her desk and gave May a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked. She was so tired that she couldn't even comprehend what May was trying to say. On a normal day, she would have been able to tell that she was teasing and accusing her of liking Kai.

"You like Kai!"

"NO I don't!"

"Then why were you on phone with him until five thirty? What time did you two get on the phone?" Dawn put her head in hands to remember the time that he called her.

"He called me at... nine O' clock." May's mouth dropped open. "What?" Dawn said, getting annoyed by May's stare.

"That's like eight hours on the phone! Dawn! Who stays on the phone for eight hours? What could you possibly talk about for eight fucking hours?" May aghast in the knowledge that she had stayed on the phone with him for that long... especially since she said she didn't like him. This made May somewhat curious.

"We talked about... anything and everything. He's so funny." Dawn smiled as she remembered something that they had talked about.

"Wait, when you say everything, did you guys talk about... you know?" Dawn tilted her head to understand what May was trying to say.

"Oh!" Dawn said as she realized what may was hinting at. "Yeah we did. But, it wasn't like... how can I say it? It wasn't like how you would talk about it with your boyfriend. It was more like 'Are you a virgin?' 'Do you think you're ready?' Stuff like that. We even talked about me and Ash. You know, we stayed on that subject for like an hour. He was so fascinated with our relationship. He said he's glad that we're doing well and stuff, and if we ever fuss or anything I can just come to him." Dawn smiled. "He's such a nice guy. But anyways, you have to get up there with us! It's so fun!"

May smirked and shook her head. "No thanks. I have my_boyfriend_that I could be talking to instead of being on the phone with another guy." Dawn glared at May.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing." May rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying - _I _have a boyfriend. You know, boyfriend that I could be talking to instead of ANOTHER boy that's not my friend. Wait, that didn't mean what I wanted it to mean." May shook her head. "Never mind, you know what I'm trying to say." Dawn rolled her eyes.

"May, I haven't forgot about Ash. Kai just called me and-"

"Why did he call you anyways?" May said, interrupting Dawn.

"He called for homework. But he needed help, so I just stayed on the phone with him and helped him with the question. Then after he was finished, we just started to talk... and we ended staying on the phone until about five thirty." Dawn explained. May nodded her head and sighed.

_"Dawn, Dawn, Dawn... I hope you're careful..."_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next few classes went by pretty quickly for May, but slowly for Dawn since she was so tired that she wanted nothing more than to be out of school. In art class, Dawn was able to finish Ash's body. She was just finished with the painting, but a few details were still needed for it to be perfect. She was excited to show Ash her art work, when she finished, and was already picturing his reaction when she showed him her masterpiece of him and Pikachu.

Kai hadn't shown up to school yet and it was lunch time. Dawn guessed that he was too tired to come. Everytime she thought about it, she would just smile to herself and think about how much fun she had while she was on the phone with him.

"Dawn!" Dawn turned her head to the direction of the familiar voice that called her name. But had no luck in finding the person who had called her name. "I'm right here." The voice said, with a laugh. Dawn smiled and turned around.

"Hey, Kai! I didn't think you were coming today. I thought you would've been too tired to get out of bed." Kai started to laugh a little with Dawn.

"I didn't want to come. But my parents made me get out of bed, eventually, and come to school, though I see you're affected as badly as I am from last night." Kai said as he noticed the small bags under Dawn's eyes. Dawn blushed and turned her head. "Don't worry, Dawn, your still cute with them..." Kai mumbled the last part.

"Huh?" Dawn said, since she couldn't understand what he said.

"Uh, nothing." Kai said while rubbing the back of his head and smiling, convincing Dawn that he had actually said nothing at all. "We had one heck of a conversation last night, huh?" Kai chuckled and turned his attention towards Dawn.

"Yes! You're so funny, Kai. I don't think I ever laughed so much in my life." Dawn started to giggle. Kai blushed at her compliment and shook his head.

"I'm not that funny." Kai said with a smile.

"You don't think you're funny?" Kai smirked and shook his head. "Do you know how much you had me laughing last night? How can you not think you're funny?"

"What can I get for you, dear?" The lunch lady said before Kai could reply back to Dawn.

"I'd just like a juice please." Dawn said sweetly. The lunch lady smiled and handed Dawn a bottle of juice.

"Seventy five cents." Dawn handed her the change and tried to walk away but the lunch lady stopped her, brought her closer, and whispered, "Who is this young man? He's cute, you know, and you two would make a cute couple." The middle aged woman moved away and winked at Dawn. The blue haired teen walked away, with Kai beside her, with red spread across her cheeks.

"Are you okay, Dawn?" Dawn silently nodded her head. "What did she say?" Dawn shook her head. Kai chuckled at Dawn's weird behaviour, oblivious to what she was thinking about.

When they arrived at the table, Kai sat down beside Gary and Dawn next to Kai and May. Ash frowned, seeing that his girlfriend sat beside Kai rather than next to him. Gary caught his expression and gave him a 'Don't worry' look, which made Ash feel somewhat better.

"Hey guys." Kai said as he sat down, getting head nods back from the Gary and Drew, and a "Hi" from May. Ash didn't acknowledge him.

"Kai, I want to meet your little sister. She seems so~ sweet and cute." Dawn said after she took a sip of her juice. Kai shook his head and slightly rolled his eyes.

"No you don't, trust me! She's bad and crazy. She's always fighting my little brother. Not a day goes by when they don't fuss and fight, and usually she starts it." Dawn started to laugh.

"But she sounded so sweet and innocent on the phone." Dawn said as she recalled the three year old stealing the phone from Kai and talking to her.

"That's because, one: you're a girl and two: she doesn't really know you yet." Dawn smiled and rolled her eyes, thinking how a little girl could possibly be as bad as he made her out to be.

"Whatever Kai, you're just saying that. I wanna meet your Mom too. She seems really sweet." Kai scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Not at all! You heard how embarrassing she was last night." Kai's face turned a light red as he recalled his Mother's antics.

Dawn turned to face Ash, who was closely listening to their conversation. "Hey Ash, his Mom is just like yours...embarrassing!" Dawn started to giggle. Ash just gave a fake smile. Right now, he just wanted to punch Kai. But he was trying not to let this get to him, after all... Dawn was_his_girlfriend.

Dawn supressed her giggling, after feeling her sleepiness take over her again. She yawned in her hand, laid her head on Kai's shoulder, and closed her eyes, making Kai blush, as well as feel awkward...especially since Ash was now staring daggers at him.

May and Drew were so wrapped up in their conversation, that they didn't notice Dawn's actions. But Ash and Gary did. Gary bit his lip, sighed, and looked at Ash - who looked like he was preparing to beat Kai to a pulp.

Ash stood up, threw away his food, and walked out of the cafeteria. Gary was about to go after him but the bell had ring, so he decided he would put it off until after class.

Hearing the bell ring, Dawn opened her eyes and lifted her head off Kai's shoulder. "Where did Ash go?" She asked as she looked around for her boyfriend.

"He left a few seconds ago." Kai replied. Dawn nodded her head and stood up with Kai. "Guess we better get to the best class ever!" Kai said sarcastically.

"Ugh...I hate her class! At least it's not that long." Kai nodded his head and walked out of the cafeteria with Dawn.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"That was probably the best time we had in her class! I'm glad we had a substitute today, I wish we had one every day, for her class at least." Dawn told Kai.

"We should just get a new teacher, period." Kai said while chuckling a little.

"Bye you guys! I'll see you tomorrow." May said, but received no response from the two since they were so caught up in their conversation. May rolled her eyes and walked away, heading towards her bus.

"Dawn!" Dawn and Kai stopped walking and turned to the direction of the voice that called Dawn's name, to see Ash. He simply stared at Dawn and Kai's linked arms, as they walked and laughed.

"Bye Ash!" Dawn yelled from a distance. She blew him a kiss, turned around and kept walking with Kai, to her bus. When they reached Dawn's bus, they unlinked arms. "Thanks for walking me to my bus, Kai." Dawn said while giggling.

"No problem, Dawn."

"Hey, when did May leave us? I didn't even notice her leave." Dawn said with a curious look. Kai shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well! Well, I'm about to go get a seat. I'll see you tomorrow. You can text me tonight instead of calling." Dawn said with a giggle. Kai nodded his head. Dawn gave him a hug before going onto her bus.

"Bye, Dawn!" Dawn smiled at him and walked on her bus.

"Bad move, Dawn..." Gary said to himself after witnessing the whole scene from when she blew off Ash, to when she gave Kai a hug._"This isn't gonna be good..."_

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: How was that? ;) Dawn and Kai... mm, mm, MM! I have nothing to say since it's my story xD, but what do YOU have to say? Hehehe... think Dawn is going down the wrong road? <strong>

**:) I'll update this weekend, because I don't think I'm doing anything.. and Glitter will be updated tomorrow..I just figured out how I can update on my phone ^_^ and since it's already in my Doc Manager.. I can update it! WOOHOO, so stay on the look out for that :D**

**Alright, now gonna talk anymore ;).. Read and Review please :) I give out Cyber Cookies.**

**Until the weekend, **

**- Angel :D**


	5. Making Up

**Author's Notes: I am so~ sorry for updating this late /: I do really feel bad but life gets in the way, you know? Well here is the next chapter! To be honest I m not that proud of it because well I don t really know why O_o. I think I might re-do it, but ONLY if you guys think I should. This chapter is actually more of a filler, rather than something Big happening. Well, even though I don t like it much...I hope you guys enjoy.**

**And I KNOW this chapter is short, it s not supposed to be too long so whoever says it s short is getting cussed out -_-**

**Now you can read.. (:**

**Ash:18 **  
><strong>Dawn:17 <strong>  
><strong>Gary:18 <strong>  
><strong>May:17 <strong>  
><strong>Drew:18 <strong>  
><strong>Kai:17<strong>

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><p>"Hello?" Dawn said as she answered her cell phone and put it up to her ear. She didn't see who was calling so she wasn't quite sure who was on the other line. Dawn walked into her room and plopped on her bed.<p>

"Hey Dawn, we need to talk." The person on the other end of the line said in a serious tone. Dawn knew who exactly who it was, now. She knew that voice too well.

"Okay...hold on." Dawn got off her bed and walked over to her door. She took a peak out of her room before closing the door for some privacy, because she could tell by his voice that it was serious and she didn't want her mom to hear the conversation even though she might tell her about it later. After closing the door, Dawn went back to her bed and sat down. "Okay, Gary what's up?"

"Um...Dawn, can I ask you a question?" Gary asked. He and someone else wanted to know the answer to this question. Dawn cocked her eyebrow.

"Sure..." She said in an unsure tone. She wasn't sure what Gary had to talk to her about but she was ready for anything.

"How do you feel about Kai?" Gary asked, getting straight to the point.

"What-what do you mean?" She stuttered out. She knew what he was asking, but she wanted to make sure she was correct.

"Do you like him? Do you think he's cute? What?" Gary said in a demanding tone.

Dawn thought for a minute before she answered his questions. "No, I don't like him! I do think he's really cute though...but we're just friends. Why would you even ask something like that? You know I'm going out with Ash and I love him." Dawn stated getting a little bit angry. She didn't like that he was suspecting that she liked Kai. Even though he didn't say she did, she knew he thought she did because he would have never asked that question if he knew she didn't.

Gary took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, thinking about what he wanted his words to be. "You're acting like you don't care about Ash anymore, Dawn. You're always around Kai and you're always on him. So seriously, what gives? Do you know how Ash is feeling about this?" Gary leaned back in his chair and waited for Dawn to say something.

"I'm just being nice, Gary. Kai's a really nice guy and he's sweet-" Gary cut her off.

"So just because he's a nice guy you want to be all over him and ignore Ash?" Dawn rolled her eyes to the ceiling and sighed in stress.

"I don't be all over him! And I don't ignore Ash!" Dawn argued. She rolled her eyes again. She couldn't believe Gary was saying this. It was all lies to her

"Dawn, seriously?" Gary said. "This whole week you've been all over Kai. You just barely spoke to Ash this week. You know you're really pushing him away, right?"

"How am I pushing him away? How have I been all over him this week?" Dawn asked. She wanted answers to her questions. She was disagreeing with Gary on everything he said.

"Let's see Gary thought back to earlier in the week. Monday. You didn't even know they guy much and you were already defending him against Drew. And all Drew said was he didn't talk much. You let him sit in Ash's seat, which I may remind you is next to you, and you completely ignored Ash the whole lunch period. That was it for Monday."

"Well, I got angry because he tried to make the poor boy talk and he didn't even know anyone. He barely talked to me well until lunch at least. And that was stupid for Ash to get mad over a seat." Dawn rolled her eyes. "I just wanted Kai to sit by me."

_'She didn't have anything to say about ignoring Ash the whole lunch shift_.' Gary thought before he began to speak again. "Tuesday morning, I saw you and Kai walking somewhere or coming from somewhere. I told Ash to come see, which I should not have did now that I think about it, but he was mad after seeing that. Especially, since he saw you two talking and laughing. I was able to calm him Dawn with one of my theories about why you two were walking together. I know it had to be nothing like that, but why exactly were you two walking together?"

"That morning I had to walk Max to his class since May refused to do it. And after I left his hall, I ran into Kai. Since we were going to the same class, then we might as well walk together. Why would he get mad just because we were walking?"

"I guess he thought you were flirting with him. Eh, you know Ash is a jealous man." Gary said.

"Hey! I don't get jealous!" Ash whispered to Gary. Dawn didn't know that Ash was over Gary's house and that she was on speaker phone; so Ash could hear everything she was saying. Gary picked up something and threw it at Ash so he could stay quiet.

"What was that?" Dawn asked after she heard whispering in the back ground.

Gary glared at Ash. "Nothing, I didn't hear anything." Gary lied.

"Uh okay? Dawn said awkwardly. She knew she heard something in the background, but if Gary said it was nothing then she wasn't going to press it any farther...she just wanted to carry on with the conversation.

"Anyways, Wednesday I didn't see anything happen. But I um... did hear something." This caught Dawn's attention. Ash started to listen closely.

"What did you hear?" Gary got off his bed and walked farther away from Ash so he couldn't hear what he was about to say, because he knew he would get mad. Especially since Gary hadn't told him and they tell each other everything. Ash got off Gary's bed and followed behind him. Gary rolled his eyes and walked away from Ash again but he just followed him. Gary huffed, realizing that he won t be getting away from Ash. "Gary! What did you hear?" Dawn asked again, a little annoyed because Gary didn't answer her right away.

"Someone told me that Kai touched your butt." Gary turned around to look at Ash. He could see the anger plastered all over his face. "Hold on, Dawn. "Gary muted the phone and put it down. "Ash, don't take this seriously. It might not even be true let s just hear what she has to say."

"Yeah, that better not be true! If so then Kai is so gonna get it!" Ash said while cracking his knuckles. "And why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to get mad, just like you are now." Gary replied as he picked the phone back up and un-muted it so this conversation wouldn't have to continue. "So, Dawn is that true?"

Dawn thought for a minute. She did want to tell him he did but at the same time she didn't because she didn't want him to tell anyone. She shrugged her shoulders. "He did do it." She said. He wouldn't tell anybody and there wasn't anyone listening right? "But, he only did to fix my dress. He didn't even mean to touch it! It was just an accident. Who even told you that? May?"

Gary shot Ash an 'I told you so look' and turned back around. "No, May didn't tell me." Gary said truthfully.

"Then, who was it Kai?" Dawn asked, curiously.

"No, he didn t tell me either." Gary answered, telling the truth again. If it wasn't May or Kai...then who was it?

Dawn had a confused expression on her face because no one else knew he did that except her, Kai, and May somehow found out. "Who else saw that? Then who told you that?"

"Uh..." Gary ran his hand through his hair. "I can't tell you that." He said sheepishly.

Dawn huffed. "Why?" She wasn't corresponding on why Gary couldn't just tell her.

"Anyways, moving on!" Gary said ignoring her question and changing the subject. "Thursday. Wow, a lot happened yesterday." Gary said after he whistled and thought about what Dawn did on Thursday. Dawn rolled her eyes. In her defense, she did nothing. "Okay, yesterday you told Ash that you stayed on the phone all night with Kai. That really pissed Ash off, just so you know. At lunch, you pissed off Ash by laying your head on Kai's shoulder. Lastly is the one that you took too far, Dawn. I even felt the hurt when you blew off Ash. Remember Ash called your name; you turned around, blew him a kiss, and walked away with Kai attached to you? Dawn that was really fucked up. Do you imagine how Ash felt when you did that?"

Dawn didn't answer right away, she just thought about what Gary said and her actions she did. Ash...her boyfriend, her love, her other half. Now that she thought about it, she has been ignoring him this week, but she didn't mean to. She just kind of clung onto Kai as if he was her best friend. Maybe she hung onto him a little too much..

Gary realized she wasn't saying anything and assumed she was thinking. He had her right where he wanted her. "And today, Friday." Gary paused before he went on to see if she was going to say anything, but nothing came. "Today, Ash said you ignored him when you were with Kai in the hallway. He said this morning you and Kai were at your lockers and he came over there, but you ignored him? What was that about?"

Dawn cleared her throat before she said something. "I-I...um.." Dawn didn't know what to say at the moment. It was true; she completely ignored Ash when he came up to her. She just walked away from him, with Kai.

"Dawn?" He didn't get an answer. "Now, you're feeling bad right? Well, Dawn you should. Look I'm not mad at you, I don't know if Ash is or not, he's probably hurt, but I'm just disappointed in you. I didn't think that you of all people would do this. Do you know that everyday this week Ash came up to pissed off?" Gary shook his head. "Dawn, I didn't call you to fuss or anything. I called so I can tell you what things you're doing to hurt Ash. I think you really need to talk to him and see what's on his mind. I still love you like a little sister, Dawn and I always will. But you have to get it together. I refuse to let you and Ash's relationship break."

By the time Gary was done talking, Dawn was in tears. She thought about the things that she did and started to feel guilty. She loved Ash more then anything and she didn't want to ever lose him...but at the rate she was going he wouldn't stay hers for long. She didn't think that the things she did bothered Ash, she thought it was just innocent...but maybe in Ash's eyes it wasn't. It was more than that.

Dawn wiped her eyes. "Gary, I'll talk to you later. I have to call Ash." She was about to end the call, but Gary spoke before she could press the button.

"No need to. He's right here." Gary turned around and handed Ash the phone so he could talk to Dawn, but he wasn't willing to talk to her because he kept pushing the phone away. "Oh come on, Ash! Talk to her, work things out. I don't think she met to do all that stuff. Just tell her what's on your mind." Gary put the phone in Ash's head, successfully this time.

"Hello?" Ash said. He was anxious to hear what Dawn had to say.

"Ash..." Dawn took a deep breath before continuing to talk. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know I was hurting your feelings this week. Ash you should've told me."

"I should've told you?" Ash repeated. "You should've known, Dawn. This whole week you've been acting so different towards me, like you've been flirting with Kai, you've been all on him. I feel like he's about to take my position of your boyfriend, and I don't want that to happen. It seems like you like him more than me." A tear rolled down Ash's cheek which he quickly wiped away so Gary wouldn't see him crying. "I love you Dawn so much and I really don't want anything to come between us-"

"And nothing is going to come between us." Dawn said cutting him off. "Ash, I swear, he's not taking your spot of being my boyfriend. No one can ever take that spot. You're the only one I want. You're the only one I love. Ash, I'm sorry about this whole week...I don't know what came over me. I don't know why I ignored you yesterday and today. I was just trying to be nice to him and be his friend."

"But that doesn't mean you had to ignore me and be all flirty with him." Dawn didn't say anything, she just reminded quiet. There wasn't much she could say, because now she realized that she was, indeed, flirting with Kai and ignoring him the whole week. Dawn, do you like him?" Ash asked her, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" She asked, making sure he heard what he said right.

"Do you like Kai?" He asked again. Yup, he said what she thought he said and she couldn't believe he asked it. Didn't he know that she didn't like Kai?

"No! Ash, I don't like him! I have no feelings for him." Dawn said. "Ash, do you trust me?" Ash didn't answer right away. He had to actually think about his answer. "Ash!"

"I do trust you, Dawn...but you re gonna make my trust for you go away if you keep doing what you're doing with Kai."

"Ash you have to trust me! I would never cheat on you, if that's what you're thinking. I love you too much." After she said this, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. "Hold on, Ash." She put the phone down and went to her door and opened it.

"I love you too, Dawn." Dawn smiled and hugged Ash. Ash pulled out the hug and stared at her.

Dawn smiled and wiped a tear from her eye. "Can we just please put this behind us? I promise, Ash, I will never hurt you like this again." Ash nodded his head and brought her in for another hug. "By the way how did you get in my house? Did my mom let you in?"

Ash smirked. "Your mom let me in. She told me you were up here in your room." Dawn smiled and grabbed Ash's hand and walked over to her bed so they could sit and talk.

She looked deep into his eyes. "Ash, I'm truly sorry for this week. Kai means nothing to me, if that's what you think. We're nothing more than friends." She looked around the room, before looking back at Ash. "I'll admit that I have been really ignoring you this week and I'm just so so-" Ash cut her off, by kissing her.

He pulled away and smiled. "It's okay Dawn. Just as long as you promise to never hurt me, again."

"I promise, Ash." She leaned in to kiss Ash again, only to be interrupted by her mom clearing her throat. Dawn rolled her eyes and shot her mom a 'Get out' look. She hated when her mom or in most cases, Piplup, interrupted them when they were close to kissing, it always through the whole mood off.

Johanna giggled. "Oops, sorry guys. But Ash your mom is here and she told me to tell you to come on because she has dinner cooking at your house."

"He's coming mom." Dawn said, throwing her mom a hint that they wanted to be alone. Johanna nodded her head and smiled before walking out of her daughter's room and going downstairs. Dawn made sure her mom was all the way out of her room, before kissing Ash goodnight.

"Dawn, I'll see you tomorrow. I can still stay over right?" Dawn's mouth dropped and then closed. She forgot all about Ash staying over, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"Yeah, sure." She smiled sheepishly.

"You didn't ask your mom yet did you?" Ash asked. Dawn blushed and shook her head.

"But, she won't mind if you stay Ash. You know she loves to have you around." Dawn smirked and wrapped her arms around him for a hug.

"If you say so." He brought her head up to kiss her one last time. He never got tired of her kisses.

"Ash Ketchum! Come on this instant! I have food on the stove and I don't want it to burn." Delia yelled from her car, interrupting their kiss and embarrassing Ash. Dawn pulled away from him and started to giggle. Ash rolled his eyes and walked to his mom's car and got in. "Bye Dawn!" Delia yelled.

"Bye Delia! Bye Ash!" She watched the car pull out her driveway before going back inside...

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: So *cough* How was it? Did you like it? Hate it? This chapter was just supposed to be Ash and Dawn making up ^_^ so I could still have that pearlshipping chapter (6: WOOT WOOT). But, for some reason I feel like this chapter didn t do a good job O_o well just tell me what you think Please :D and be honest! Just tell me if I should do it over or not. Because I might do it over, but it just depends on how many people tell me if I should do it over, so just let me no :) Thank you. And oh yeah .how many of you think that Dawn will BREAK that promise? ;) HA! Well, I have to go because I m at this boy s house (JUST A FRIEND), I m using his computer to update lol and he s not supposed to have anyone over and I m not supposed to be out of my house because no one s home xD. Lol, bye you guys :D<strong>

**P.s. I m not sure when I ll update again. If not this Sunday, then Next weekend.**

**-Angel**


	6. The Sweet Taste of Love

**Author's Notes: OMG! You guys, I can't believe I have this up today :) I'm so~ happy about this because I seriously didn't think I would finish this chapter :D! I think you guys will really enjoy this chapter ;). I had so much fun writing it :). So read and enjoy! And please let me know if you see any mistakes /: my grandparent's computer didn't have Microsoft, so i wasn't able to correct spelling mistakes and I don't have time to go back and read it...so yeah /: please let me know about my mistakes :)**

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><p>Dawn was currently sitting on the couch with Piplup snug in her arms, thinking about yesterday's conversations with Gary and Ash until her mom interrupted her thoughts by yelling from the kitchen. Dawn huffed, stood up with Piplup still in her arms, and went into the kitchen where her mother was. "What did you say, mom?" Dawn asked as she saw her mom looking through their bare food cabinets and in the refridgerator.<p>

The older woman stopped her searching of food, thinking she had done enough, and went to a drawer to retrieve a piece of paper and pen, before answering her daughter's question. "I'm going grocery shopping, since we have nothing here." She said as she wrote down food items and toletries. "Do you need anything particular?"

Dawn was about to shake her head but stopped herself when she remembered that Ash was supposed to come over today and spend the night at her house. She hadn't even asked yet, due to her forgetfulness. "Um, before I answer your question can I ask you one?" Johanna, still writing, nodded her head. "Can Ash come over today?" Dawn asked.

Johanna nodded her head yes and said, "Yes of course, you know he can come over anytime. I don't mind." The blue haired woman said with a smile, making Dawn slightly blush.

"Well...can he spend the night?" Dawn asked quickly. Johanna stopped writing and looked up at her daughter. Dawn put on a innocent smile after placing Piplup on the floor. "Is that a yes...or no?"

"He can stay, Dawn." Johanna answered. Dawn started to squeal but stopped when her mother said, "But.." Dawn's smile quickly faded at her mother's single word. Dawn leaned on the counter, sitting her head on her hands.

"But what?" Dawn said in a dull tone. She, really, already knew what her mom was about to say. She was about to explain some 'rules' about him staying over...well more like one 'rule'.

"Ash has to sleep in the guest bedroom." After Johanna said this, Dawn smacked her lips with disaproval. "Don't smack your lips at me, young lady."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "But mom~! He's my boyfriend! Why can't I sleep in the same bed as him?"

"You know why, Dawn." Her mother said in a stern tone.

"MOM! You're acting like we're gonna do it. I'm not ready for that yet and respects my decision. All we're gonna do is sleep together." Dawn explained. "I mean, not like that! I mean..." Dawn searched around her mind for the right words, while her mom gave her a skeptical look. "mom you know what I mean." Dawn said after she gave up trying to explain what she had said. She hated when she had to go through this talk with her mom, which felt like all the time to her. Why couldn't she just believe that Dawn wasn't ready for sex yet?

"I know what you're trying to say, Dawn, but he needs to sleep in the guest room. Even though you claim you're not ready, I'm convinced that you are."

"Why?" Dawn asked giving her mom an irritated look. As soon as she said 'why' she wished that she hadn't said it. She knew why her mom thought she was ready, and she hated when she brought it up.

"Remember the time I walked in on you and Ash during you guys make-out session, in your room?" Dawn lowered her head in embarrassment. It's not that she didn't want Dawn kissing Ash, they're boyfriend and girlfriend it's what she expected, but it was the way they were that she didn't like. "Yeah~...his shirt was off and you were only in your bra and panties. That's why I'm thinking you're ready."

"Mom~." Dawn whined. "We just got a little too carried away that time." Dawn said, trying to convice her mom.

"And that's why he sleeps in the guest room." Johanna stood up straight and left the kitchen, ending the conversation.

"And that's why you should knock before coming in my room." Dawn mumbled as her mom walked out of the kitchen. Ever since that day, Dawn remembered to lock her door whenever Ash was in her room. Ash with his shirt off, Dawn with only bra and panties on sucking on his neck like a vampire...talk about embarrassing when her mom walked in and screamed.

"What was that, sweetie?" Johanna yelled after she heard her daughter say something under her breathe.

Dawn laughed sheepishly and replied, "Nothing!" She didn't think her mom heard her. Dawn walked out of the kitchen and went into the living room where her mom was. "So, does he really have to sleep in the guest room, again?" Dawn asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yes, Dawn. Until you move out and get your own place, he sleeps in the guest room." Dawn sighed in defeat. Johanna picked up her purse. "Do you need me to pick up anything for you?" Dawn thought before answering.

"Cookie dough, cake mix, icing, a couple of Hershey chocolate bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers." Dawn said with a smirk on her face. Johanna looked at her daughter like she was crazy. She never ate that many sweets. "What?" Dawn giggled. "Since he can't sleep in my room, we're gonna have fun other ways." She said before skipping off, happily, and going up the stairs.

"Dawn~" Johanna said in a warning tone. Dawn ran back down a few steps so she could see her mother.

"Not like that." Dawn said, sheepishly, while rolling her eyes. She ran back up the steps and went into her room.

Johanna couldn't help but giggle as she walked out the house.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"DAWN!" Johanna yelled from her room. Dawn was in her room fixing her hair and putting on lipstick, since Ash was due at her house any moment. "GET THE DOOR!"

Dawn smiled, knowing exactly who was at the door. She checked herself in the mirror, making sure she looked perfect, before going downstairs to answer the door.

"Hello, Ms. Ketchum. Hey Ash." Dawn said as she opened the door to reveal two of her favorite people, Ash who had his favorite companion on his shoulder, and Delia.

"Dawn, how many times do I have to tell you? Just call me mom." Delia said while giggling, and while Ash and Dawn both slightly blushed.

"Sorry, I forgot." Dawn said with a small giggle.

"Pika!" The small yellow mouse pokemon chirped before jumping right into Dawn's arms.

"Hey, Pikachu." Dawn said as she cuddled with the soft creature. She and Pikachu were very close, so close that sometimes Ash would get jealous. Ash put his arm around Dawn, bringing her close to him, as Johanna came downstairs to greet her friend and her daughter's boyfriend.

"Hey Ash. Hey Delia." Johanna greeted as she stood in front her guest.

"Mom, why are you dressed up like that?" Dawn asked when she realized what her mom was wearing. Johanna stood by Delia and smirked.

"We're going out." Delia said. That's when Dawn realized that Ash's mom was dressed up too. She had on a mini dress, that stopped above her knees, and and heels on.

"Well, we aren't gonna stay in the house while you two are having fun." Johanna said as she realized the looks on Ash and Dawn's faces. "Don't I look great?" Johanna asked with a wink. She also had on a pair of heels and a strapless mini dress, which stopped above her knees.(A/N: I don't know how to describe a cute outfit for them xD lol...)

"Um...mom?" Ash said. "Don't you think you're a little to old to be dressing like that?" Delia and Johanna glared at Ash.

"No, I'm not too old to dress like this!"

"I think you two look beautiful." Dawn said, being a suck up. They really did look beautiful. You couldn't even tell they were 'old'. They looked almost like teenagers, in their dresses and heels.

"Thank you, darling." Delia said.

"Come on we have to go. The club opens at nine, and we have to get there early if we want to get in." Johanna said as she started to walk to the door. Delia followed Johanna to the door.

"Bye you two." Delia said.

"Have fun." Johanna said as she walked out the door,

"And Ash, remember, I want grandchildren but not right now." Delia said sweetly as she closed the door. A red hue took over Ash's cheeks, he couldn't believe his mother just said that. Dawn couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Piplup!" The blue pokemon chirped happily as he saw his friend in Dawn's arms. Pikachu hopped out of Dawn's arms and landed in front of Piplup.

"Pika! Pika!"

"Pip pip lup!" Piplup pointed upstairs and took off running towards the steps. Pikachu got the clue and follow behind him, and they both went upstairs.

After Dawn's laughter died down she turned to face her boyfriend. "So, Ash, looks like we have the whole night to ourselves. What do you wanna do?" She asked as she walked two fingers on his chest. Ash grinned. "Not like that, Ash." Dawn giggled and playfully pushed him away. She knew what he was thinking, but she couldn't blame him because she kinda hinted at it...but not purposely.

Ash laughed. "It doesn't matter what we do. As long as I have my favorite girl in my arms.." He grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. Dawn smiled and turned her head to kiss him.

"Okay, well first how about we take your bag up to your room." Dawn said, breaking the kiss and escaping from his hold. Ash sighed.

"I have to sleep in the guest room again don't I?" Dawn rolled her eyes and nodded her head. "But I wanna be with you." Ash whined as they walked up the stairs.

"I know, Ash. But my mom told me that you have to sleep in there. She thinks we're gonna do something." Dawn said while rolling her eyes. Dawn opened the guest room door and cocked her eyebrow at the sight of Piplup and Pikachu.

"Well...don't they looked relaxed." Ash started to laugh, quietly. He didn't want to disturb Piplup and Pikachu. They were on lying on their backs, on his bed, watching tv, with a bowl of Poffins between them.

"Come on." Dawn said. Ash sat his bag down on the floor and left out the room, with Dawn, unnoticed by the two Pokemon. Dawn walked in her room and started to laugh. "That was too cute." She said as she visualized them in her head.

"Yeah." Ash said with a small smile on his face. "And where did they get those Poffins from?"

"I made Piplup some before you came. How they got in there...I'm not so sure." Dawn laid down on her bed and watched Ash walk around her room. "Ash, what are we doing for our two year anniversary?" Dawn smiled. Ash looked over his shoulder and smirked.

"Aah...it's a surprise." He already had everything planned out for that night, when it came.

"Ugh~." Dawn groaned and rolled onto her back. "I wanna know now, Ash."

"Too bad 'cause you can't." Ash's head was hovering over hers. "You'll love it though, I can tell you that." Dawn smiled, cupped his face with her hands, and brought her lips to his. They shared a deep, passionate kiss for a mintue before breaking apart.

"Ash, are you hungry?" Dawn asked out the blue, as she got off her bed and grabbed Ash's hand.

"Yeah, I could use something to eat." Ash said while he rubbed his growling stomach. Dawn giggled. There was never a time when Ash wasn't hungry. "What are you cooking for me?" Ash asked in a slick tone. Dawn scoffed and pulled him out of her room.

"We're cooking...well baking."

"Baking? Dawn, I can't cook."

Dawn let go of Ash's hand when they reached the kitchen. "It's really simple." Dawn giggled. She went to a cabent and got out some ingridents she asked her mother to buy; Cake mix, icing, marshmallows, and graham crackers. Next, she went to the refridgerator to get the last of the items; Hershey bars and cookie dough. She placed everything on the counter.

"Uh..." Ash scanned the counter.

"Are you gonna help me or are you gonna just stand there with your mouth open?" Dawn giggled and fetched a big bowl from a lower cabinet.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked cluelessy.

"Hm.." Dawn looked at the counter of sweet, with her hands on her hips. "Pre-heat the oven to three-hundred and fifty degrees. And turn the stove on to medium." As Ash messed around with the stove, Dawn opened the cake mix and poured it into the big bowl. "Ash can you get me five eggs from the fridge and get a pan from down there," She pointed to a cabinet. "and put it on the stove."

Ash gave his girlfriend five eggs and went to get the pan. "Dawn, it's like a million pans down here. Which one do I need to get?"

"The circle one."

"They're all circle pans."

Dawn rolled her eyes, and went to get the pan herself. "This one right herem genious." She grabbed the pan and placed it on the stove. "Ash, since I already put the milk and oil in the cake mix, can you crack the eggs for me?" Dawn asked sweetly.

"Yeah. What's the meaning to all this anywa- Uh oh."

"What?"

"I uh...egg shells aren't supposed to be in there is it?" Dawn giggled and shook her head. "Oops. Sorry." Ash picked the small shells out the mix and cracked the rest of the eggs...while picking shells out the mix.. "This is so stupid." Ash mumbled, hoping Dawn didn't hear him.

Dawn laughed at his 'cooking' skills. He couldn't even crack an egg. "Here," Dawn handed Ash a mixer. "Mix the batter until it doesn't have anymore lumps. Can you do that, Ash?" She teased.

"Ha ha ha! Funny." He said sarcasitcally as he pluged up the mixing machine. "I bet I can mix better then you can." Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Ash. Just mix it until you don't seen any more lumps." With that said, Ash turned on the mixer and started to blend the batter in. While he did that, Dawn focused on melting the chocolate. She put one Hershey bar in the pan, with water, that was on the stove. She used a spoon to make to stir the chocolate so it would melt faster, before she put in more chocolate bars.

By the time she finished melting the chocolate, Ash finished blending the cake mix...at least he should've been. "Ash...you're not finished! Look at all the lumps." Dawn started to laugh. There were more lumps then before. "Did you just keep the mixer in one place?" Ash sheepishly nodded his head.

"I wasn't supposed to, huh?"

"No." Dawn giggled and started to blend the cake mix. "Ash, you have to move the mixer around so it can blend faster and easier."

"I told you I can't cook." Ash pouted and folded his arms, earning giggles from Dawn.

"There, I think that's it." She examined the cake mix. Now, it was nice and smooth; the way it's supposed to be. She dipped her finger in the mix and tasted it. "Mm~. Taste good, wanna try it?" Ash nodded his head and moved towards Dawn. She put her finger in the bowl, again, getting the sweet cake mix on her finger, and put it up to Ash's mouth. He took her finger in his mouth, sucking off the mix before she removed it.

"That does taste good." He said, smiling.

"Yeah, because it's not lumpy." She teased before she poured the cake mix in a cake pan and put it in the oven. "Ash, pass me that cookie sheet." Ash passed Dawn the silver foil-type sheet. She sprayed it, then placed the chocolate chip cookie cough on it, and put it on the oven. "Timer set for twenty-minutes."

"How long does the cake take to bake?"

"An hour." Dawn said as she grabbed the bag of marshmallows off the counter. She walked over to the melted chocolate, turned the stove top off, and dipped a marshmallow in the chocolate. She popped it in her mouth and fell in love with the sweet, rich taste. "Ash, come taste this." She took out another marshmallow from the bag, dipped it in the chocolate, and fed it to him. "It taste so~ sweet." Dawn squealed.

"It's good, but I know something that's better." Ash went to the refridgerator, leaving Dawn with a look of confusion on her face. In her mind she was thinking, 'What could possibly taster better then marshmallows and chocolate?' Ash came back with something behind his back. "Close your eyes." Dawn did as told and shut her eyes. He took a red berry from the container he was holding and covered it with chocolate. "Now, open your mouth and bite." Dawn opened her mouth. Ash put the chocolate covered berry in her mouth, to which she bit down. "Is it better?" He asked after he took a bite.

"What it is? It taste cold and warm. It was sweet and tangy. It tasted...so~ good. Ash, I want some more." Ash smirked.

"Open your eyes. It was just a strawberry. I told you it taste better." He dipped another strawberry in the chocolate and gave it to her. "So, what was the point of all this?" He asked as he dipped his finger in the melted chocolate and put it in his mouth.

"Just for fun...plus..." Dawn leaned in closer to Ash. "It makes sweeter..." She trailed off her sentence and kissed him. It really did make their kisses sweeter; the taste of the chocolate, strawberries, marshmallows, and Ash made the kiss tastier. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her.

Ash couldn't explain how he was feeling. Out of all their make-outs, this had to be the best. Her lips were already sweet but the chocolate made them ever sweeter. He placed his hands on her hips. He loved when she played with his hair while they made out, and she was doing that right now. It just turned him on more.

Dawn fiddled around with his hair, the way she knew he liked it. Everytime she played with it, she knew that she had him wrapped around her finger. That was always his weakness, especially if you did it right. She moaned as she felt his tounge enter her mouth. She could taste the sugary chocolate on his tounge.

After Dawn allowed Ash's tounge to enter her mouth, he explored it for a bit before his tounge brushed up against Dawn's warm tounge. Ash was really enjoying this make-out session. He removed his hands from her waist and put his hands at the bottom of her shirt. He lifted up her shirt a little and slid one hand under shirt, towards her back. He heard her let out a soft moan. His soft hand moved around on her bare skin. Her skin was so soft and milky smooth. He loved her skin because of how soft and smooth it was.

Ash broke the kiss, picked up a nearby spoon, put it in the pan to scoop up some chocolate, and fed some to Dawn as well as himself. "Mm~" Dawn moaned as the chocolate hit her tastebuds. Ash smirked and started to kiss her again. They were both enjoying eachother's lips...almost nothing could ruin the moment but...

"AAH!" They both jumped to the loud beeping noise of the stove. The cookies were ready.

Dawn stopped the beeping noise by pressing a button on the stove. She put on a oven mit and got the cookies from out of the stove. She inhaled the sweet scent. "Still think this is stupid?" She asked while giggling. Ash had a shocked look on his face, he didn't think she heard him. "Yeah, I heard you." She said as she gave him a peck.

Ash laughed. "So how long until the cake is ready?" Ash asked as he picked up a warm chocolate chip cookie and took a bite out of it.

"Um...about forty minutes left." Dawn said. She took the half eaten cookie out of Ash's hand right when he was about to put it in his mouth. He narrowed his eyes at her, then grabbed another cookie. Dawn giggled and sat on the counter.

"So what are we doing for the next forty minutes?" He asked, placing his hands on her legs.

"Hm...we could watch tv and talk." Ash nodded his head. Dawn hopped off the counter and lead Ash into the living room to cuddle and watch tv.

Ash sat on the couch, pulled Dawn onto his lap, and securely wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back into his chest, feeling comfortable and safe.

"Ash, your so comfy." She snuggled more into his chest and grabbed the remote. Ash just smiled and took the remote from her. "Hey!" Dawn sat up, but Ash pulled her back down.

"Your supposed to let the guest watch what they want...and I'm the guest." He smirked. Dawn rolled her eyes. Usually, she would have said something back, but right now, she didn't feel like it.

"Ash, I have something to ask you..."

"What's up?"

"How the heck did you get to my house yesterday? Weren't you with Gary at his house?" Dawn said. She thought it was strange how Ash appeared at her house so quick, like that.

"I walked to your house while I was talking to you." Ash said simply, like it was no big deal.

"But, Gary lives a few miles away from me."

"I took the path. It only took ten minutes."

"Oh yeah~! I forgot about that little trail. I remember me and you walked it at night, one time." Dawn smiled at the memory.

"Yeah, you were so scared." Ash teased.

"It was eleven at night and it was really dark! Plus, we kept hearing all those noises."

"It was just pokemon, Dawn. And you were with me so you knew you were safe."Ash smiled. "As long as you're with me, you have nothing to worry about because I'll keep you safe." Dawn smiled at Ash's words and snuggled more into his arms, enjoying his company. "Oh no~ don't you go to sleep!" He playfully said when he saw Dawn shutting her eyes.

"I'm not going to sleep, Ash."

"Then why are your eyes closed?" He said as he used his finger to open one of her eyes. Dawn huffed and moved his hand away.

"Ash~!"

Ash smiled and said, "I just want you to stay awake."

"I'm not going to sl-" Dawn was interrupted by a loud sound coming from the kitchen. It sounded like one of the pans fell on the floor. Dawn sat up and looked at Ash with a curious look on her face. "What was that? You did hear it right?" Ash nodded his head and looked towards the kitchen. "I'll be right back." Dawn stood and walked towards the kitchen.

Ash nodded his head. He saw her cell phone lying on the table. He picked it up when he saw it flashing; it was a text new text message that caused the phone to flash. He went to her messages and got a little mad when he saw who the message was from. It said,

'Hey Dawn :)' -Kai

Ash deleted the message, so she wouldn't text him back and so she won't know he read her message, and put the phone back on the table when he heard her scream.

"Pika!" Pikachu chased Piplup around on the stove top.

"Piplup!" Piplup ran away from Pikachu with a cookie in his mouth. Pikachu was chasing Piplup because he took the biggest cookie from Pikachu and he wasn't going to let him have it that easy.

Dawn walked in the kitchen and glared at the two pokemon. Dawn's eyes drifted to the mess on the floor. The pan of cookies got knocked on the floor, causing cookies to be everywhere. "AAH!" Dawn screamed in horror after she saw the cookies all over the floor.

Ash walked in the kitchen and stood behind her. He saw the cookies on the floor and saw Pikachu chasing Piplup for some reason."You two stop it!" Dawn and Ash said in unison. They didn't want them to knock over the chocolate...but it was to late. Piplup ran right into the pan, making the chocolate go everywhere: the walls, the floor, the counters and cabinets, and a little was on the ceiling. The chocolate was even on Dawn. It was on her clothes, her face, and it got in her hair. She wasn't happy about that at all. None got on Ash, since he was standing behind Dawn.

"Pip..." Piplup stopped running after he knocked over the pan and looked at the mess he made. Pikachu gulped; he knew they were gonna be in trouble.

"Well~" Ash said as he looked around the chocolate covered kitchen. "Your mom is gonna be pissed."

"AAAH!" Dawn screamed. "IT GOT IN MY HAIR!" She whined. She hated when her hair was ruined.

Ash couldn't help but laugh, it was always funny to see Dawn overreact over her hair. "Dawn, I think the fact that your kitchen is covered in chocolate is more important. You can always wash your hair. But, we have to clean up your kitchen before your mom gets here." After Ash said that he heard the front door open.

"Shit!" Dawn said quietly to herself. She knew she was about to be in big trouble now. Piplup and Pikachu looked at eachother and quickly ran out the kitchen and up the stairs, leaving the two teens to fend for themselves. They didn't even know why Pikachu was chasing Piplup in the first place.

"DAWN~! I'M HOME!" Johanna yelled as she walked into the kitchen with a grin on her face. She wasn't looking to good. She was wobbling and her words were kind of slurred. "D-did you h-have fun?" She asked. "Ooh~ Chocolate." She took her finger and scraped some chocolate of the wall and put it in her mouth. "That's good." She said and walked off, stumbling.

Ash and Dawn looked at eachother confused. "Is-is she drunk?"

"I think she is.." Ash said, shaking his head.

"Oh god!" Dawn said as she palmed her face. Dawn looked around her kitchen one more time. She didn't feel like cleaning up all the chocolate since it was late. It would take them the rest of the night to do it. She turned to face Ash. "Okay, here's the plan. My mom's drunk...so she might sleep all day tomorrow. Everytime she gets drunk, she sleeps all day the next day. So, tomorrow we'll clean all of this up and she won't even know. Especially since she didn't notice it now..."

"Dawn? Are you sure she's gonna be sleep all day tomorrow?" Dawn nodded.

"Positive. Last time, she went out with one of her other friends, a couple of months ago, she came home drunk and she slept all day the next day."

"Okay~ if you're sure." Ash said. He was a little unsure of the plan, but it did sound kind of promising.

"Well, I'm going to take a shower so I can get this chocolate off of me!" Dawn whined as she took some chocolate off a strand of her hair.

"Or I can get it off of you." Ash smirked as he wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close to him. Dawn giggled. He licked some chocolate off her cheek before kissing her. "You taste so good." He said as he made his way to her neck. Dawn smiled and pulled away from him.

"Ash~ I'm taking a shower, I feel sticky." Dawn walked out of the kitchen, with Ash behind her.

"What am I supposed to do while you're in the shower?" Ash asked as he walked behind Dawn up the stairs. Dawn shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know...I'm not gonna be long." Dawn said before she went into the bathroom, kissed Ash, and closed the door. Ash sighed and went to the guest room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After Dawn got out the shower, feeling much better now since she got all the chocolate off of her and out of her hair, put her pajamas on, which was a tank top and short shorts, she got in the bed. When she heard a small soft knock on her door, she got out of her bed, thinking it was just Piplup, and went to open her door. To her surprise it wasn't Piplup it was Ash. Even though it was too dark to see his face she saw the outline of his body. She blushed slightly because of what she was wearing, but it was dark so he couldn't see anything.

"Can I sleep in here with you?" Ash whispered as he stepped in her room. Dawn sighed.

"Ash, you can't. My mom said-" Ash cut her off.

"But your mom is passed out, which means she will never know." Dawn didn't say anything because she knew he was right. Her mom was drunk and passed out...she wasn't waking up. Dawn shrugged her shoulders. "Plus, Pikachu and Piplup are sleeping in my room and they're snoring was keeping me up."

"Fine. But Ash, we are not doing aything!" Ash nodded his head, in understanding, and smiled before walking in her room, closing the door behind him slowly so it wouldn't make a sound. As long as he got to be with Dawn, he didn't care. He wasn't with her for sex anyways, but he did have thoughts and dreams of having sex with her. But, if she didn't want to do it yet, that was okay with him.

Dawn got in bed, followed by Ash. She tried to keep a distance between her and Ash because of what she was wearing and because she was scared that her hormones would get the best of her, but it failed because Ash wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his body. She realized he didn't have on a shirt.

"You smell good." Ash said seductively as he breathed in her scent.

Dawn smiled. She turned on her other side, so she was facing him. She couldn't help it. She found his lips and started kissing him. Dawn ran her hands across his smooth, muscled chest. It wasn't everyday that Dawn had Ash in her bed so why not make it fun? Dawn wrapped one of her legs around Ash, bringing him closer. Ash moved his hands around back and down to her butt, this is when he noticed how short her shorts were. Ash smirked against her lips. He could tell that she was getting a little turned on. Whenever she started the make-outs, Ash knew that she would get turned on quicker.

He smirked, again, and pulled away from their kiss, much to her dislike. "I thought we weren't gonna do anything?" Ash smiled after he used her own words against her. Dawn cursed to herself. Now, she regretted those words. "Goodnight." Ash said playfully and turned away from her.

Dawn huffed and turned so her back was to Ash. "Goodnight." She mumbled. After she said that, she felt Ash's warm arms around her.

"I love you, Dawn." Ash kissed her neck and brought her closer to him. Dawn smiled.

"I love you too, Ash."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ugh~ What happened?" An older woman asked herself while rubbing her head and looking around the lit room. The sun's rays were peaking through the blinds. She got up and noticed that she still had on her dress and heels. That's when some events came back to her. She was out with Delia, they went to a club, and Johanna got drunk. She just didn't remember coming home. She got up from her bed, feeling dizzy, and walked out of her room. She went in her daughter's room to check on her. She slowly opened the door and gasped at the sight.

She saw Dawn and Ash both sleeping peacefully...in the same bed. Ash had his arms around Dawn, snuggly and secure. She couldn't help but smile because of how cute they looked, sleeping together. But, this didn't mean that Dawn would get away with disobeying her mother's rule. She was just going to get her later. Johanna looked at the sleeping couple one more time, before leaving her door way and forgetting to shut her door. She looked in the guest room to see Piplup and Pikachu sleeping peacefully on pillows.

Finally, she made her way downstairs. She needed to go to the kitchen and take some medicine for her headache. She walked in the kitchen and completely froze. She looked at her kitchen with horror and anger, in her eyes. "AAH!" She screamed. She looked around her kitchen. Chocolate was everywhere. "DAWN~!" She yelled loudly.

Disturbed from their sleep, Dawn and Ash opened their eyes after hearing Johanna yell and scream. They heard it clear since her door was open.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY KITCHEN?"

"Uh oh." Dawn and Ash whispered in unison.

_This wasn't gonna be good._

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :) Leave your reviews and tell me what you think please :) and oh yeah! I'm so~ close to one hundred reviews :D so I need just 13 more reviews :D so please review and help me get one hundred :D Um...next chapter...will be the start of everything ;) well, not right off the bat but it's gonna give hints so be on the look out :). I'm just not sure when it will be out, but hopefully it won't be long :) Well, again I hope you enjoyed this PEARLSHIPPING chapter and please review so I can get one hundred reviews (: See you guys soon,hopefully :)<strong>


	7. The End?

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone :D Long time no see, huh? Yeah~ sorry about that. I was really stuck on this chapter, but I was finally able to get through it :) And I must say, that I really like this chapter ;)**

**But, I won't talk any longer since the long wait you already had... xD. So you may read now (:**

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><p>Dawn woke up to her loud, irritating, beeping alarm clock...again. She threw her arm out from underneath her bed sheets to shut the alarm off, and finally - since she hit the snooze button twice already - she got out of bed. She wasn't really tired; she was just worn out from the day before.<p>

Johanna made Dawn clean up every single drop of chocolate in the kitchen. Johanna didn't let Ash help because of two reasons: one, he was the guest and two; she said that Dawn was responsible for the mess. Dawn even tried to tell her mom that it was Piplup and Pikachu's fault, but the older woman just shrugged it off and said, "They don't have hands to clean it up and I'm not cleaning it up." And she left it at that.

To put it easily, she was more than upset with Dawn.

Dawn made her bed and walked to the bathroom to get ready for her day at school.

...

An hour and fifteen minutes later, Dawn joyfully skipped her way downstairs and into the kitchen. "Good morning mom." She said when she saw her mom drinking her morning tea. Dawn wasn't sure if her mother was still mad at her or not.

"Morning." Johanna replied, emotionless and not looking at her. Johanna simply flipped a page of the newspaper she was reading and continued to sip her tea as if Dawn was not in the same room as her.

Yeah, she was still mad.

Dawn sighed. "Mom, I don't understand why you're so mad at me. It wasn't even my fault." Dawn shot her blue friend a quick glare to which he just innocently climbed in Johanna's lap and started cuddling her. "It was Piplup's fault! He was chasing Pikachu around and-"

Johanna stroked Piplup's head and looked at her daughter, who was looking highly irritated. "Dawn, like I said before, you were responsible. You should have been watching them."

"I'm not a babysitter! Besides, how was I supposed to know that, that would happen? They were upstairs watching TV while Ash and I were down here." Dawn said.

"Like I said, you were responsible." Johanna said. She stood up, placed her now empty cup in the sink, and exited the kitchen to go upstairs. She was done with this conversation for the day.

Dawn rolled her eyes and took out her ringing phone. "Hey, Ash." She said when she answered the incoming call.

"Good morning, my lovely girlfriend." Ash said, making Dawn smiled. "I'm outside your house, so come on." Ash said while he beeped the car horn for evidence that he was waiting out in her driveway.

"Okay, I'm coming." Dawn hung up the phone and walked out the kitchen. "I'm leaving, mom!" Dawn yelled. She waited for a response, but one never came so she just locked the door and left out the house. "Good morning, Ash." She said as she got in the car. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and put her seat belt on.

"Why do you look annoyed?" Ash asked as he studied his girlfriend's face expression.

Dawn rolled her eyes to herself before replying, "My mom...she's still mad at me." Dawn sighed. Ash smiled so he could hold in his laughter that was trying to escape. "But, I'm not too worried about it. It's just something that has to blow over."

"It might take a while considering how bad she fussed at us, well mainly you, when she came back in your room. I had never seen your mom so angry before. I was kind of scared." Ash said as he put the car in drive and pulled out the driveway. The whole situation of Johanna yelling replayed back in his head. It was like she was so angry you could almost see smoke coming from her ears. Ash shivered at the flashback.

"Yeah, she was kind of scary." The bluenette admitted. "But, I've seen it all before so it doesn't freak me out too much." Dawn put her hand on Ash's hand, which was resting on her leg.

Ash's face flushed, slightly, at his girlfriend's touch. It was kind of unexpected, but he smiled loving the feeling of her soft hand on his.

The rest of the ride to school was quiet.

Ash pulled into the school parking lot and found a space to park. He got out the car first and walked to the passenger side of the car to open the door for Dawn. She smiled gratefully and got out the car.

"Thank you, Ash." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and entwined their fingers together and started walking towards the school.

"Who missed me?" A familiar cocky voice asked from behind them. Ash and Dawn knew who that voice belonged to. They turned to face a certain green haired coordinator. He had a smirk on his face and had May behind him. "I know you two missed me." He said while flipping his hair.

"Oh, please, Drew. No one misses you." May said as she walked around Drew to go towards the couple. "Hey Ash. Hey Dawn" May chirped, happily.

"But, you miss me." Drew said. He snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist securely. May smiled and didn't say a comeback. "Yeah, I thought so." He said, sounding pleased with himself.

Gary came up behind the group walking with some pep in his step, looking happier than ever. He walked up the group - Ash was the first to notice him.

"Hey, Gary. You look pretty happy today." Ash said while he smirked. Drew let go of May's waist and walked up to his brown haired best friend.

"He's happy because he got so-"

Ash cut Drew off before he could finish his sentence. He already knew why Gary was happy...there was only one reason and one person who could make him this happy. "You got back with Giselle?" Ash asked, while he smiled.

Gary put his hands in his pockets. "Something like that." Gary said, coolly. Dawn and May started to squeal with excitement.

"Finally!" Dawn said. "What happened?"

"I'll give details later. I have to go do something." Gary smirked at Ash and Drew and then turned to leave. "Ash, we'll talk in class. Drew, I'll tell you after class." After saying that he walked off with a huge smile on his face.

"Well, it's about time." May said.

"Again." Dawn added. They've been together and broke up plenty of times before but this time seemed to be the longest break up they ever had.

"Right. I miss seeing them as a couple. Hopefully Giselle doesn't have anymore trust issues." May said.

Ash smiled and came behind the bluenette, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, making it a cute sight. Just a tad of pink colored Dawn's cheeks.

"Yeah, I know." Dawn said. "That's what happened to them the-" Dawn cut off her sentence once she saw Kai walking into the school building. She tore herself from Ash's hold. "I'll be right back." She said and started to walk in Kai's direction.

"Talk about trust issues..." Drew mumbled to himself as he watched Ash slightly tense up with jealousy and some anger.

Ash leaned on the wall and watched his girlfriend leave him to go to Kai. He told himself that he wouldn't let this get to him. They're just friends. Ash is the boyfriend and Kai is the friend...

Dawn walked away from Ash, Drew, and May and headed towards Kai with a smile on her face. You could say that she was happy to see him. Why shouldn't she be? He's almost like her best friend, except maybe better. They've became quick friends in just one week and she felt like he could be her best friend - though she wasn't sure if she could tell him any secrets yet. They just got along so great together and it's like they have a certain connection...

"Morning, Kai." Dawn said in a bubbly tone. She felt happier when she saw him. He looked at her and smiled. His eyes...they were beautiful. They looked exactly like Ash's.

"Good morning, Dawn." He said. "You're pretty happy." He stopped walking and admired her face for a moment taking in her beauty. He smiled back at her, his face flushing slightly.

"Well, I don't have a reason not to be happy." Dawn said, jokingly. She started to walk with him towards their hallway, completely forgetting about her friends...and Ash. "Did you have a good weekend?" She asked, sparking a conversation.

He nodded his head. "It was alright. I had to babysit my little brother and sister on Saturday." He sighed. "And that was like hell." Dawn chuckled and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't that bad." Dawn assured, thinking he was just exaggerating.

Kai shook his head. "Trust me, when you have a little brother and little sister who don't get along to great...things get pretty crazy. Plus they don't listen, so that made it even worse."

"Are they bad or something?" Dawn giggled. "You make them seem like they're just bad children."

"No, they're not bad...just hard to control." He chuckled while he ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, my parents can control them but I can't. They just won't listen to me."

"I could help you babysit one day." As Dawn said this, her cheeks turned a light pink color.

"Actually," Kai started. "I texted you on Saturday night. I was going to ask you if you wanted to help me babysit that night, but you never sent back." Dawn stopped when they reached their lockers and turned to face him with a confused expression scribbled all over face.

"You didn't text me Saturday. I would have sent back." Dawn took out her phone and went to her inbox and scanned through all her messages. She never bothered to delete them so she had tons of messages in her inbox, but none from Kai...at least on that night. "Yeah~ you definitely didn't text me." She said while she looked up at him.

Kai took out his phone and went to the sent messages folder and showed her the message he sent her that night. "See?" He showed her the text he sent. "Maybe you just deleted it on accident."

"I don't delete my messages..." Dawn trailed off her sentence.

"Did someone else do it?" Kai asked.

"No, I don't think so. No one goes in my phone. And the only person I was with on Saturday was..." She trailed off her sentence and her eyebrows went down. "Ash." She whispered pretty harshly.

Good thing she had a trash folder. Dawn went to her trash folder and there it was; the message that Kai sent her that night. He must've sent the message when I left out the room...and Ash must have read it and deleted it. Dawn thought. She slammed her locker shut.

"Woah, you okay Dawn?" Kai asked. He noticed her sudden mood change. She was just happy a second ago but now she was slamming lockers with all her strength.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Dawn replied. She forced a smile on her face. Even though she wasn't for sure that he had done that, it was a ninety-nine point nine percent chance that he did and that really upset her. She never read his messages before, so why did he think he could do that to her? She gave him his privacy and she should get the same respect back.

Besides, why would he delete the message anyways? This question ran through her head over and over. She couldn't really understand it. She was going to question him about this later.

Dawn stormed into her first class, with Kai walking behind her. He could tell that she wasn't okay by the way she slammed her locker and the angry look on her face gave it away too. He wasn't going to ask any questions though, if she wanted to tell him than she would, right? He sat down in his assigned seat, next to hers.

While Dawn sulked, May walked into the room and sat in her seat next to Dawn. She saw the angry expression on her face but ignored it.

"Dawn, why did you leave us?" May asked. You could hear in her voice that she was a bit pissed because of that. Her walking off with Kai wasn't setting to well with May... "Ash is mad at you too." May added. Dawn snapped out of her thoughts once she heard that sentence.

Ash mad at her? Was there even a reason to be mad?

"He's mad at me? I'm mad at him!" Dawn snapped, frightening May a little. "Why is he even mad at me in the first place? I didn't do anything?"

"He's mad because you left and walked away with Kai. I guess he felt like you'd rather be with him or something. Plus you said that you would be right back but you never came back. I'm a little mad at you myself, but I'll get over it. But...I don't know if Ash will." May said. "Just saying. I don't think you should have done that."

Kai overheard what May was saying and started to feel guilty. He felt like it was his entire fault that Ash was mad at Dawn and that was the last thing he wanted. When he saw them together they looked so happy with each other and looked really in love and he would hate for anything to happen to them.

Dawn rolled her eyes at everything May just said. Maybe he deserved that for going through her phone, invading her privacy. Then again...maybe he didn't deserve that. Dawn sighed, even though she was still incredibly mad at her boyfriend she couldn't help but feel some guilt. She didn't mean to walk away with Kai like that, it just kind of happened. She got caught up in him...

She would hate it if Ash left her and walked away with some other girl. That would break her heart to see that happen. She could only imagine how Ash was feeling.

Dawn sighed. She refused to say anything.

The teacher walked in the class and started writing notes on the board for the students to copy. Without a word from Dawn, May, and Kai they got out their notebooks and pens and started to copy the given information on the board.

...

Dawn stopped copying notes when a folded sheet of paper was slid over to her desk. It was from Kai. Dawn looked up from her work and looked at Kai. He was writing notes on his paper. She unfolded the paper and read the message.

_I'm sorry that Ash is mad at you /: I feel like it's my fault that he's upset with you. And I feel guilty about it._  
><em>Sorry.<em>  
><em>- Kai<em>

Dawn smiled at the note and silently shook her head. She wrote back to what he said and slid the folded paper on his desk. He unfolded it and read:

_Awe :) That was sweet, Kai, but it's not your fault. It's my own. I'm the one that made the bad decision, not you. So don't feel guilty about anything...you have no reason to. _

_- Dawn_

After reading what she wrote, Kai looked up at her. She was looking at him with a reassuring smile on her face, making him feel warm inside. He loved her smile. It was beautiful.

Even though she told him it wasn't her fault, he still couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt in him. Maybe if he never walked through the door Ash wouldn't be mad at her...

Their small moment was interrupted when Dawn felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She broke away her eyes from Kai and reached into her pocket and took her cell phone out, making sure it stayed hidden from the teacher so it wouldn't be confiscated.

She had a text message from Ash.

For some reason she started to feel nervous all over. Her hands started to shake a little as she clicked the view button on her phone. This wasn't the first time Ash texted her in class, in fact they always do it but this time she had a feeling that it wasn't something good.

_Can you meet me at our secret spot on the roof, right now? I'm already here. We need to talk ASAP! - Ash_

Dawn gulped lightly. The only time he went up there was to clear his head of things that were bugging him, to just think to himself and to have some alone time so he could think. Dawn had only been up there a couple of times with him in the past. They'd sneak up there while switching classes and stay up there for no more than ten minutes just enjoying each other's company.

She decided not to text back and just head to the roof top. Dawn slowly got up from her seat.

"Where are you going?" May whispered.

"I'll be right back." Dawn replied. She walked to the front of the room, to the teacher s desk. "Can I go to the bathroom?" She asked. Without looking up from the stacks of papers on his desk, the teacher nodded his head. Dawn quickly walked out the classroom, closing the door behind her.

She walked through the halls with questions running through her head. The closer she was getting to the staircase the more nervous she grew. What was he going to say? Why did he even tell her to meet him up there? Was he going to break up with her? She didn't know what to expect right now. Maybe he just wanted to talk to her. Maybe he wanted to just be with her for a while...maybe.

Dawn climbed the hidden stairs, getting more nervous with each step she stepped on. She reached the door that lead to the roof and slowly turned the door knob. She opened the door just enough so she could get outside. It's been a while since she'd been on the roof top.

There _he_ was.

Ash was leaning on the railing, his eyes fixed on nothing particular. He was just staring. You could tell by the expression on his face that he was thinking. He looked hurt, angry, lost. But he still had that facial expression of thinking.

Dawn quietly walked towards him and supported herself on the railing right beside him. She looked up the clear blue sky before she said anything. "Hey, Ash." She whispered. She was a nervous wreck right now. She didn't know what to expect or what was going to happen. Or what he was going to say.

He didn't say anything. He just continued to stare into nothing, his thoughts clouding his mind.

Dawn waited a few minutes for him to respond. She was really waiting for him to just explode at any given moment, even though he wasn't the type to really do that. It just seemed that he would be able to do that at this moment since she was told he was upset with her.

Finally, he said something.

"Do you like him?" His voice was calm and quiet but audible enough for Dawn to here the question. "Be honest."

She stared at him, not believing he even asked her that, but he didn't look at her. He continued to stare. "No, Ash, Of course I don't. Why would you ask something like that?"

Ash exhaled. "How do I know you're not lying?" He finally turned to face her and looked into her eyes. Now she could see everything he was feeling. It was all in his eyes. Hurt, confusion, anger. It all showed through his eyes while his face expression was blank. "I me-"

"So you think I'm lying?" Dawn asked, cutting him off.

Ash shrugged his shoulders then nodded his head. "Yeah, I do." He watched as her eyes lit up. It was obvious that she wasn't expecting him to say that.

"Ash, why would I lie to you?" Dawn said. "I've never lied to you and I'm not going to start." Dawn paused and bit down on her lip. "Why do you think I'm lying, Ash." Dawn redirected her gaze from Ash to somewhere else. She could feel his eyes drilling holes through her.

"Because...you just left me to basically be with him."

"That's not true, Ash." Dawn said.

"You sure? Because that's what it seems like." His voice was starting to get sterner. "You just rip away from me and walk away with him! I didn't like that. It's like can't even have time with my own girlfriend when he's around." He gripped the railing with anger now building up in him.

"Ash, I was with you this weekend! I don't have to be under your arm all the time." Dawn rolled her eyes. "You know what? You say it's me, but I think you're just jealous!"

_That word._

**_Jealous._**

It hit him..._hard._

"I'm not jealous!" Ash yelled. Dawn flinched at his sudden outburst. He was tired of everyone 'claiming' he was jealous. He wasn't...in his defense.

"If you're not jealous then why'd you delete that message from Kai on Saturday night?" She could tell by his change in facial expressions that he knew exactly what she was talking about. "Yeah, I found out you deleted it. You must didn't know I had a trash folder. Why'd you do it, Ash? I thought we both agreed that we won't invade each other's privacy? I never looked in your phone or anything, Ash. Know why? Because I trust you!" She was looking him right in the eyes. "You must not trust me if you feel the urge to read my messages." Dawn crossed her eyes and looked away so he wouldn't see the single tear that slipped out her eye and made a wet path down her cheek.

"I-I just don't feel comfortable with you talking to him. Yeah, I did read and delete that message. I don't know why I read it...I guess half of me just doesn't trust you anymore." Dawn turned her head back to face him so she could look at him. She couldn't believe what he said.

"You really don't trust me?" Ash didn't answer her question. He just moved his eyes elsewhere. "Wait. You just don't trust me around Kai. That's it, isn't it?"

"I-I don't know." He looked back into her eyes. He could that her blue orbs were shining from tears that were building in her them. "It s just when you go around him...you two just connecting in a certain way. I can see it." He could feel the anger building back up inside him. "I don't want you hanging around him, Dawn. He's ruining our relationship."

"No, you're ruining our relationship! You and your jealousy! Why can't you just see that we're just friends?" Dawn wiped her eyes and walked towards the door. "You can't stop me from being friends with him and you won't! If you can t accept the fact that I only love you and that Kai and me are just friends... Dawn trailed off her sentence, not wanting to speak the words that were about to escaped her mouth. "Than maybe we don't need to be together anymore."

Dawn opened the door and left, with tears streaming down her face.

Ash, mouth wide and tears starting to fall down his face, watched as she walked away from him, slamming the door.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: OOOOOH! Cliffhanger ;). The next chapter will continue from this point. Was this chapter over dramatic? O_o for some reason, I feel like it is...but I still like it. It adds to the drama ;) hehe...<strong>

**Oh yeah...I have like one chapter for this story FINISHED...but it won't be up for another 4 or 5 chapters xD. Don't ask why I did that...I just has the most amazing idea for that chapter and how 'things' should be revealed and then I started writing. It's a really different way ;). Lol, and I was actually crying while I was writing something Ash was saying O_o...weird~...  
><strong>**Anyways, it won't be up until like 4, 5, or 6 chapters. But be ready for it ;) You'll have a clue about what it's about in a few chapters when stuff starts happening...**

**Hm...I don't think I have anything else to say... except review please :D. And I'll hopefully be updating soon :). I'm FINALLY getting my internet back in like one and a half week...so that means updates will be much more frequent :D**

**Anyways, I have to go home now xD. I'm at my friends house.**

**- Angel :D**


	8. Just Wanna Be With You

**Author's Notes: HEELLOOOOOO EVERYONE :D Very long time, no see/read. Yeah, really, really sorry about that /: & I left you all with a cliffhanger so I'll add an extra SORRY /: but I had no internet access and plus this chapter was a bit hard to write o_O. But I hope this is good enough :) it'll have to be anyways xD.**

**Go ahead and read :D don't want to keep you waiting any longer. And if there are any mistakes, please let me know :). I went over it, but may have read over some stuff, so just let me know :)**

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><p>Dawn ran down the stairs wiping her eyes of the never ending tears, her mind replaying what she just said to him: <em>"Then maybe we<em> _don't need to be together anymore._" As much as she didn't want those words to come out, they somehow managed to escape her mouth. Breaking up with Ash was the last thing she wanted to do, especially over something that is not what it seems.

She never thought Ash would be this type of person to overreact. Telling her she couldn't be friends with him was just absurd. She didn't pick and choose his friends, so why was it okay to think he could do that to her? She never said anything when she saw Ash talking and sometimes flirting with other girls. She knew that Ash was her boyfriend so she had absolutely nothing to worry about. But why couldn't he think the same way?

It's like ever since Kai came into the picture things seemed to have changed between them so easily. Like he was ruining their relationship. But he couldn't be. It wasn't possible...

Dawn stopped running when she finally reached her classroom. She slumped on the wall beside the door so she wouldn't be visible to the teacher or any of her classmates. She wiped her eyes and face to remove the tears. Dawn looked down the hallway from the way she just came for any signs of Ash. She wanted so much to just run back to him, be in his arms, telling him that she didn't mean what she had said and that they should just put everything behind them. Just forget it all. Forget about Kai...

But she couldn't.

Ash pushed her to _that_ limit to say that they were over. Besides, if he really wanted her back then he would be running down the hallway right now.

That's what a true boyfriend would do, right?

Dawn wiped her faced with her hand one last time before entering the classroom.

As soon as she walked in the class all eyes were on her which made her feel uncomfortable and uneasy. She knew that she looked like she was crying; she could feel that her eyes were a little swollen and she already knew they were red. Dawn put her head down, hiding her face from the stares and walked as fast as she could back to her seat.

"Miss Berlitz," the teacher said. "If you were gone any longer I would have thought that you were trying to skip my class." The teacher stared at Dawn from his desk, looking over top his glasses as if he was observing something. Dawn kept her head down to avoid her teacher's gaze. "I don't want to have to suspend your bathroom privileges, young lady." The teacher broke his stare and went back to focusing to scattered papers on his desk.

Dawn rolled her eyes at her teacher's words. He just had no idea.

"Dawn," May whispered. "What's wrong? What happened?" She noticed how Dawn looked as soon as she walked in the door.

Dawn blinked to keep a tear from falling. She always had an urge to tear up whenever someone asked what was wrong with her when she was sad. "Nothing," Dawn said.

"Dawn," May began. "I know something is wrong. So what's up?" May whispered.

"We'll talk later..." Dawn said and left it at that.

May eyed her friend curiously. She didn't press for details now because it wasn't the right time, especially with their teacher and she seemed like she wasn't ready to talk. She was starting to question if Dawn really went to the bathroom...

Kai couldn't help but feel that something happened with her and Ash. 'Going to the bathroom' all of a sudden, not coming back for a while, and returning sad gave him all the hints that she met up with Ash somewhere and something happened. For some reason he had a feeling that whatever happened...was because of him.

...

Ash stood there for a minute trying to take in everything that just happened. An endless stream of tears was trailing down his face, his hands were trembling, and his mind was lost. Did Dawn really just break up with him? Over something like this?

_'What am I doing?'_ Ash scolded himself mentally. '_I have to go after her._'

Ash hurried from the roof top, closing the door to his secret hideout and ran down the stairs in search for Dawn. She couldn't have gone back to class that quickly. He went to her hall, but found it hopeless in doing so because he didn't know what class she was in now and he didn't want to get caught by peaking in the window to find out.

He was fighting the urge to just text her, but he wanted to talk to her face-to-face. He didn't want to be alone without Dawn. He wanted her, he needed her and he'd do anything to get her back.

He eventually retreated back to his hallway after realizing that he had lunch time and after school to talk to her which was probably best because then they could both have some time to cool off.

He wandered down his hall, slowly going to his class with his head down and hands in pockets just thinking. That empty and lonely feeling was building inside him. He really wasn't sure if Dawn _really_ did in fact break up with him or if she was just saying that but he sure did feel like she did and he hated the feeling. Her words continued to run through his head no matter how hard he tried to get them out, it was just no use.

"Ash?" A familiar voice said. Ash looked up to the person that called his name. She was just a few feet away from him. "Ash, what's wrong?" The girl asked. She noticed how sad he looked. His usual happy brown eyes weren't so happy now, and she could tell that he was or had been crying.

"Hey, Misty," Ash said in a dull tone. Right now, she was the last person he wanted to see. Not that he couldn't stand her because they got over their old relationship and Misty was on good terms with Dawn and everyone else and he and Misty even had something like a brother-sister-relationship going on, but he just didn't want to be bothered at this moment.

"Are you okay, Ash?" She asked. Ash quietly nodded his head. "No, you're not, Ash." Misty walked towards him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I've known you for, like, ever and I know when something is wrong. So talk."

Ash didn't look up at her once. "I don't want to talk, Misty." Ash tried to walk around her but she blocked his path, making him become slightly irritated.

"Ash, you have to talk. It'll help you feel better," Misty said. "Besides, do you really think I'm going to let you walk away that easily when I know I can do something to help?"

"I don't think you can help with this situation," Ash mumbled.

"Try me." Misty grabbed his arm and led him to a secluded area and they both sat down on an old wooden bench. "Now, what's wrong?" The orange head looked into his eyes, urging him on to say whatever's on his mind.

Ash didn't know whether or not he wanted to tell her. Yeah, they might be good friends now...but being his ex-girlfriend, telling her about his problems with his current - or maybe ex?- girlfriend would be weird.

He decided to go ahead and tell her anyways. "Dawn just broke up with me," Ash said. His eyes started to shine and water. Saying that sentence made the tears come back.

Misty gasped, not believing what he just said. "You're kidding right?" Ash shook his head. Misty's eyes widened, showing off her cerulean colored eyes. This was such a big shock to her. The 'couple-to-be' broke up? Though she felt bad for Ash because she knew how much he cared for her, she couldn't help but feel a bit of happiness.

"Why did she break up with you?"

"Long story," Ash said quietly. Misty scooted a little closer to Ash and put her hand on his.

"We have time"

Ash told Misty absolutely everything. He told Misty everything from the time Kai arrived all the way to where they were now. Misty was taking in everything that Ash just told her.

Ash started to think if it was a good idea to spill everything out to Misty. One half of him said it wasn't but the other half said it was okay. He actually did start to feel a little better after telling her.

"Alright, Ash," Misty started after thinking for a bit, "I'm not just saying this because I'm a girl...but I'm really on Dawn's side." The raven-haired boy opened his mouth to talk but Misty raised a finger and stopped him from saying anything. "Let me finish," she said. "But, honestly, I think both of you are wrong in this situation."

"How am I wrong?" He purposely left out Dawn, knowing all her 'wrongs.'

"Well, you're wrong because you overreacted about it. They're just friends, Ash, and she told you that, yet you still didn't believe her?-"

"Hey! I did believe her!" Ash said defensively, cutting off her sentence.

"Then why'd you overreact?" Misty shot back. Ash didn't say anything and she got a smug look on her face. "Yeah, I thought so."

"But it's just so hard, Mist," Ash said, "to see her...you know." Misty smiled and moved some hair out of his face.

"I know how you feel Ash, trust me," she said. She suddenly remembered how when they were dating, Ash was very friendly towards Dawn and how it hurt her. So she knew where he was coming from. "But, Ash, I think you were just lacking in trust. Well, you are lacking in trust. You know that is very, very important in a relationship, right?"

"I know but-"

"There should be no buts!" Misty said sternly. "I know Dawn befriended Kai. It's nothing wrong with that, because they're only friends and you need to be able to accept that, Ash. And she wants you to do that."

"Wait, how are we both wrong? You're making it seem like I'm the only one that's wrong here."

"I was just about to get there," Misty said. "Dawn...she's wrong because she shouldn't be putting Kai before you. I mean, it's okay for her to have him as a friend, but they just met and she shouldn't be putting him before you, regardless."

"Especially if he's a boy," Ash said, his teeth gritted a bit.

"No," Misty said. "That's not right. A girl always has a best friend, right?" Ash nodded his head. "You ever heard people say that you should put your best friends before your girlfriend or boyfriend because they're the ones that are always there with you?" Ash nodded his head again.

"That's what Drew, Gary, and I do. We made a promise to each other that we'd never let a girl ruin our friendship..."

"Yeah, well a girl doesn't always have to have a girl best friend," Misty said. "Actually, a lot of girls have male best friends. I have you don't I?" Misty smiled lightly and looked at him.

"So what are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that it doesn't matter if Dawn has a friend that's a boy. What if she had a best friend that was a guy and you two were dating? What would you do then? Would you be mad?" Ash shrugged his shoulders. "You would _have_ to live with it because he would be her best friend."

"Misty, what does this have to do anything about my current situation?" Ash asked, getting slightly annoyed.

"I'm just informing you that it doesn't matter if it's a guy that's her friend because you said, 'especially if he's a boy.' I know it's off subject, but I just had to get that across."

"Well...what should I do, Mist? I want my girlfriend back." Ash leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees, his hands running through his hair, his thoughts on Dawn.

"You need to talk to her, Ash-"

"And say what?" Ash snapped causing Misty to flinch at his hard voice. He didn't mean to snap like so suddenly like that, but it's just that he tried talking to her already and this is where it got him. "Look, Misty I'm sorry, but it s just-"

"Tell her what she wants to hear, Ash," said Misty, cutting him off. "Say sorry to her, tell her that you want to put it behind you and start over. Tell her that she can be friends with him. But make sure you draw the line, but don't be harsh when you do it."

Ash picked his head up and looked at Misty with a confused, hurt look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Like, tell her that you're okay with them being friends but you don't want her to put him before you. Remind her that you're her boyfriend, Ash, and make sure she knows that. Show her that no other boy can compete with you." The bell rang and Misty stood up.

"Wait, Misty, what do you mean show her?" His cheeks started to turn red which made Misty giggle.

"I wasn't talking about in that way Ash...but that's something you could do. Or you could take her out on a date; take a romantic walk, anything that'll prove you're much better than Kai. Just show her that you love her, Ash. Wean her off of Kai." Misty noticed that kids were starting to pour into the hallway. "Okay, Ash? Talk to her sometime today. I recommend after school, because it'll give you both some time to cool off. Okay? I'll see you at lunch, Ash." Misty started to turn and walk away.

"Wait, Misty," Ash called after her, wiping his eyes. Misty turned around and smiled. "Thanks for, you know, talking to me." Misty just widened her smile and turned back around to walk away.

...

May shoved Dawn in the bathroom and pushed her into a corner so she couldn't get away. "Okay, Dawn, what's wrong?" Dawn looked away and folded her arms, trying to fight back tears. "Dawn," May said softly, "what's wrong? I'm your best friend, you know you can talk to me."

"I think I broke up with Ash," Dawn cried. May's mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"W-what? W-when did you- Ooh~ you went to see Ash when you left class..." Dawn nodded her head. May hugged her best friend for comfort. "Dawn, what happened?"

"We only have a few minutes to get to the next class. I'll tell you what happened at lunch."

"Fine," May said. She wasn't going to keep asking right now. Obviously her friend didn't feel like talking about it because any other day she wasn't worried about being on time to class. The brunette stepped aside so Dawn could leave - May followed right behind her and they went to their respective class.

...

Dawn sat in art struggling to keep her eyes on the movie that was playing. The art teacher was out today so they had to watch a movie on art instead of working on their portraits, which Dawn didn't mind at all.

Her mind kept wandering back to a certain pair of brown eyes and their owner - Ash.

A part of her wanted to talk to him and work things out and go back to the way things used to be between them but the other part wanted to just walk away and leave it all alone.

Eventually, the bell rung and Dawn got herself up and walked out the room and headed to lunch where she would meet May to tell her what happened.

This lunch shift was going to be very awkward...

Dawn made her way to the cafeteria and saw that May was already seated at their usual table. Not feeling very hungry for the schools lunch, she headed towards the table and sat down in front of the brunette so they could be face-to-face when she told her what went down between Ash and her.

As soon as Dawn sat down, May took no time to jump into the subject. "Okay, now tell me what happened with you and Ash." May pushed her tray aside, completely forgetting about her lunch, and put her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands so she could listen closely to the story.

"Well, Ash texted me in class and told me to meet him somewhere so we could talk." May nodded her head for Dawn to keep going. "I didn't know what was going on, but I thought it had something to do with Kai..."

"Did it?" Dawn nodded her head and looked down for a quick second. May huffed to herself but didn't say anything. Now it was making sense to her.

"And it did have something to do with him...because of this morning."

"Dawn, I tried to tell you-"

"May, let me finish," Dawn said before rolling her eyes. May didn't say anything else, just leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "When I got there, he asked me if I liked Kai and I said no. But he didn't believe me."

'_I wouldn't believe you either,' _May thought to herself. She knew it was something she shouldn't think, but it was just convincing that she did in fact like Kai.

"So, after that we had a little argument. He said he didn't want me hanging around him anymore and I told him that if he couldn't handle me and Kai's friendship then we shouldn't be together anymore." Dawn looked around with sad eyes, waiting for May to say something. And when she finally landed her eyes back on her, she said something.

"Okay," the brunette said, tapping her fingers on the table, making an annoying sound. "So you broke up with Ash because he told you to stop being friends with Kai?"

"Yea..." Dawn trailed off.

"Dawn," May huffed out, "I love you and you're my best friend but I swear you're starting to get stupid. Why would you break up with Ash because he told you not to be friends with Kai? Okay, I understand that it was pretty harsh on his part to say that but I don't think you should have broken up with him."

"I just didn't know what else to say or do..." Dawn said quietly.

"And telling him it's over was going to help the situation?" Dawn didn't say anything. "Dawn," May softened her voice, "you need to go fix things with Ash. You two need to actually talk without arguing. Right now, I think you're both being idiotic. You: being with Kai and paying more attention to him than your own boyfriend and Ash: Overreacting and blowing it all out of proportion, though he has a right too...it's still a bit much. It's okay to be friends with him but don't ignore Ash. I'm friends with Kai but you don't see me running from Drew to Kai do you...and that's not a good look because girls are starting to talk."

Dawn continued to stay quiet. There was nothing she could say...May was totally right and she knew that herself.

"Look, Dawn, you want Ash back right?" Dawn nodded her head, vigorously. "Then talk to him. And chill out with Kai. Be friends with him, but not too friendly like you were doing. That's all Ash wants you to do. I understand that Kai is, cute, funny, and fun to be around but don't let his characteristics take you away from Ash. Remember Ash is the same except he's better."

May looked around and noticed Ash heading toward their table with Drew and Gary trailing behind him.

"He's coming now so maybe you two can talk now," May said and moved her discarded tray back in front of her.

Dawn wiped her eyes and tried not to make eye contact with Ash as he,

"He walked past the table..." May stated the obvious and kept her eyes on him to where he was going - Dawn did the same. He sat at a table with Misty. He was on one side - his back to them - and Misty was on the other.

Before Dawn could say something she turned back around at the sound of two trays slamming down on the table. "You broke up with Ash?" Gary and Drew asked in unison.

"We just finished talking about that and we're not going back on that topic," May said and pulled both of them down into a chair. "Why is he sitting with Misty?"

"I wouldn't sit over here either if my ex was over here," Drew mumbled earning an elbow in his side from May. "Ow, what was that for?" Drew asked while he rubbed his aching side.

May ignored him and rolled her eyes. "Gary?"

"I don't know myself. He told us what happened...but he said nothing about Misty." Gary looked over Dawn's shoulder to see Misty and Ash. They were just talking about something. No laughing, giggling, or blushing.

"He moves on fast," Dawn said with a sigh. She propped one elbow on the table and rested her chin on her head, fighting the urge to turn around to take a look at them.

"Nah," Gary said with a mouth full of food, making May and Dawn look at him with disgust. "Nothing's going on. Why, want him back?" Gary smirked. "Don't worry, he needs you back, Dawn."

"Yeah," Drew added, "When he was talking to us, he said it was his fault that you broke up with him. He finally realized that he was jealous and going overboard."

"But, it wasn't only his fault," May said while looking at Dawn who blushed a little bit.

"You're right," the brown-haired boy said after sipping some of his juice. "It's both of you. It's alright to have a guy friend, but for you to be 'getting to know him' you're a little too close for comfort. Now, if you known him all your life and you were acting like this, it'd be fine and Ash wouldn't care. But that's not the case."

"By the way, where's Kai?" Drew asked, just noticing Kai's absence.

"He got early dismissal. He had a doctors appointment," May answered. Drew nodded and finished eating lunch.

The rest of lunch went by quickly and quietly. Dawn's thoughts were on Ash and what she would say when she would talk to him later after school.

The bell rang and everyone got up, dumped their trays and headed towards their next class.

"I hope that woman doesn't give us a lot of work today. I hate her. I swear she's on her period everyday," May said while her and Dawn walked out of the cafeteria and into the crowded hall.

"I know," Dawn sighed. "I'm not in the mood to do work."

"Did you do her homework? I forgot to do it last night."

"Yeah, I d-" Dawn cut herself short when she saw Ash from the corner of her eye. She turned to face him.

He was staring at her. His eyes filled with despair and hurt. But his eyes seemed to light up when she locked eyes with him. She could even feel herself get a little happier by just seeing her eyes.

But she turned away from him and continued to walk with May to her next class.

...

"Ash, I'll get us a table over there," Misty told Ash.

"Okay," Ash said while he grabbed himself a juice. Misty walked away and headed for a table that wasn't too far away from where Dawn and May were sitting.

"Ash, you okay?" Drew asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," the raven-haired boy replied and walked away. He saw his usual table in sight and looked at Dawn from the corner of his eyes as he walked by, but she didn't look up at him. He wanted to sit by her so bad right now, but he couldn't. He kept walking until he reached the table Misty reserved for them.

He had to reside with Misty because sitting at the same table as Dawn would be too weird.

The two were sitting in silence for a while until Misty broke it. "So, do you know what you're going to say to Dawn when you talk to her?"

"Nope." Ash took a huge bite of his chicken sandwich. Misty looked at him with disgust on her face. He was always a messy eater.

"Ew, Ash. You need to work on your eating habits."

Ash smirked and rolled his eyes. "You sound just like my mom."

"Is Dawn-" Ash cut her off as soon as she mentioned her name.

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," Misty said and took a sip of her water to avoid the awkwardness.

"So, what's up with you and Lucas? You two were dating...and then stopped? What's going on?" Misty almost spat out the water in her mouth at the mention of his name. She didn't expect Ash to ask about their relationship.

"Um...we _were_ dating."

"And?"

"We broke up because his parents decided to move back to Sinnoh."

"Oh~," Ash said as if a light bulb flicked on in his head. "That explains why we don't see him around anymore. Why did his parents decide to move back?"

"They said they didn't like it down here. They claimed it was too 'rural' for them. I guess they were used to the factories and tall skyscrapers," Misty said while rolling her eyes. "We have that here too."

"Yeah, but I think Sinnoh is just a bit more advanced then it is here. Especially Sunnyshore city."

"I've always wanted to go there. I hear it's an amazing sight to see at night."

"Yeah, it's amazing. I remember when I went there for a battle tournament last year and I didn't get there until nighttime. When the plane circled above the city, I'll never forget how the city lit up so beautifully."

"Wow, I have to see them one day."

"You should," Ash smiled. "I can see you know. Your face filled with amazement while your face glowed from the light's glare and your beautiful eyes sparkling. Now that would be a gorgeous sight to see." He winked at her and drunk some of his juice.

Misty started to blushed. She knew he didn't mean it in that way - just being friendly - but it was just the way he said it and...that he even said it in the first place.

They continued to eat and talk until the bell rung, telling everyone that it was time for their last class of the day. They dumped their trays and walked out the cafeteria.

"I'll see you later Ash," Misty said. "Tell me what happens between you and Dawn, okay?" Ash smiled and nodded his head. "Okay, bye Ash."

He watched her walk away. He turned around and saw Dawn talking to May. He couldn't help but stare at her. Even when she looked sad, she was still beautiful.

Dawn slowly turned to face him, making his heart beat speed up when their eyes locked. Seeing her deep blue eyes always made him happy.

He was about to walk over to her, right now. But she broke her gaze from him and turned around and started walking.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before he turned around and walked to his class.

...

The bell rung causing students to hope up from their seat and run out the door, happy that the day was finally over and they could go home to kick their feet up and relax.

The girls walked slowly to their lockers, weaving in and out of the sea of rushing teenagers. They got what they needed from their lockers and began to walk away, but stopped when someone called May's name. They both turned around and May smiled seeing it was Drew, while Dawn's heart beat started to speed up seeing Ash with Drew.

"Hey," May said, kissing her green-haired boyfriend on the cheek.

Ash and Dawn were both quiet. May and Drew didn't question their behavior though because they knew what was going on between them.

You could tell that they were trying not to look at each other.

May and Drew looked at each other slyly before Drew wrapped his arm around May's shoulder and said, "We'll be right back. We have to go get something from my locker...?" Drew stated in a confused question way and looked at May who just rolled her eyes at him. That was very non-convincing. They walked away, leaving Ash and Dawn to be alone...both dreading it.

Dawn twirled a strand of hair around her finger, not knowing what to say or do. Yes, she wanted to talk to him and work everything about between them...but how does she start out?

She reluctantly turned around and started walking away. It was like her feet were moving by themselves. She didn't want to walk away like this.

And she wouldn't.

Ash reached out and gently grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. "We have to talk," he said softly, his voice serious yet at the same time sweet and loving.

Dawn didn't look up to meet his gaze.

Ash put his finger under her shin and gently titled her head up so she would be looking at him. He gave her a little, sad smile and said, "Dawn, are we really over?"

She moved her eyes away from his and down to his lips and then back up to his eyes. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Ash," she said.

"Dawn, I love you and I'm s-" Dawn cut him off.

"I love you too, Ash. A lot. But you have to trust me. I trust you...but why can't you do the same?"

"It's just hard to see you always around him. I can't help but suspect things," Ash said.

"Ash, you know me better than that! I would never cheat on you." Dawn moved a little closer to him and held his hand and whispered, "You're the only one, Ash."

"I know, but..." Ash trailed off his sentence, trying to find something else to say.

"But?"

"You're just too beautiful and whenever another guy comes around, I can't help but get..."

"Jealous?" Dawn finished for him.

"Y-yeah," Ash said, hesitant. "And I'm scared that you'll break up with me for someone else."

Dawn rubbed her finger across the back of his hand. "I'll never do that, Ash. There's no other guy in this world that compares to you. And I'm sorry...for leaving you this morning. I know that you don't li-"

"I don't mind you being friends with him, Dawn," Ash whispered.

Dawn's eyes went wide with surprise then they went back to normal. "But this morning you said-"

"I don't mind. I've been thinking about it today...and it's cool with me." He could see the joy in her eyes and that made him smile. "Just don't put him before me." He said this with a little more sterness in his voice to get make sure that, that was clear.

"Never..." Dawn said and kissed him softly on the lips.

They laced their fingers and shared a deep, passionate kiss before pulling away. A chill was sent up Dawn's spine and she could feel goose bumps popping up on her skin. Ash put his arm around her and pulled her close.

Everything was back to _normal...for now._

_To be continued..._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Eh, sorry about the ending. It's corny, I know, and really lame. I'm not good with the making up stuff -_- but I'll work on it :) &amp; did you notice the little Pokeshipping moment I put in there? ;) I know some of you probably didn't like it but I don't care xD, remember that I am still a little Pokeshipper :).<strong>

**Anyways, now I think I got past the hard part of the story (which was to build Dawn and kai's relationship, did I do it enough? Please tell me so I can no exactly what to do next chapter), I can really get on a roll with this. I have most of the rest of the story mapped out ;) so I can start following those plans, Finally :D! So, I'm going to try to update more quicker since it's pretty much easy now :D**

**So yeah...with that said...that's it xD. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :D. Please review :D**

**- Angelcutepie ;)**


	9. A Night To Remember

**Author's Notes: Hello readers :D It's that time for another update :D . Yes, this chaoter is big o_O it's my longest chapter I've ever written and it took forever x_x So I hope you enjoy this :D I think you will...it's a PEARLSHIPPING chapter! You remeber when Misty told Ash to take her on dates and stuff? Well here it is :) It's actuauly a time skip...two week time skip from the last chapter.**  
><strong>Well, I'm gonna stop talking to you can read this chapter xD<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Dear Diary,<em>

_So, I thought since I have May picking out my outfit for today, I'd write in here to pass some time..._

_Well, it's been two weeks since Ash and me's little 'mishap' and needless to say, our relationship is flawless and better than ever. You know that saying 'everything happens for a reason'? Well, I think what happened two weeks ago was meant to happen because it made our relationship much stronger. He's been taking me out a whole lot lately like to the movies or out to dinner or just a little walk at the park. Simple dates, but all very romantic. I just feel like our relationship took off to bigger heights. And I feel like I love him more than I did before._

_Kai and I are of course great friends...but I did calm down with him. I didn't want to admit it but...I was paying more attention to him than Ash. Why? I'm not even sure myself. I mean, I don't like him or anything so I don't know why. Maybe it was because of his personality? Or because he reminds me of Ash in many ways? His eyes, his hair, his smile, his personality...just him as a whole reminds me of Ash..._

_Anyways, I think Ash finally got over his jealousy because he actually talks to Kai more. Actually, all of the boys are. They include Kai on their 'Boys Day Out' as they like to call it when Gary, Drew, and Ash hang out. May and I tried to get Kai to tell us what they did but he wouldn't spill. He said he's not supposed to let us girls know what they did. Sometimes, May and I can't help but wonder if they're doing something they're not supposed to be doing...since they all - except Kai - have girlfriends. Anyways, back to the topic. Kai hangs out with them all the time and I can tell that he's completely comfortable around them. They're always joking on each other and being childish, which gets annoying at times but at least everyone is friends right?_

_Oh yeah, I have great news! Gary and Leaf are officially together! And they seem to be doing just fine. I think they got over there past problems which is good because they're such a cute couple. But not cuter than Ash and me :p _

_Leaf even hangs out with May and I. We are sooo crazy together and our giggling gets on the boys nerves. So just to annoy them, we sometimes do it on purpose just to make them mad :) Seeing them annoyed is funny. Besides, they do it to us all the time...so~ why not do it back? ;) _

_So, today Ash is taking me out. Apparently, we'll be out all day. I have no idea where he's taking me. He hasn't told me; he refused to tell me and said it'll be a surprise. Ugh. I can't wait to see, though! But I can't help but feel nervous. Ash and I have been on many dates with him before...but it's just something about this one that's making me nervous._

_But I'm pretty sure it's nothing. I'll get over them soon, so no worries :) _

_I'm done writing for now...:P _

_- Dawn ^_*_

Dawn closed her diary and placed it underneath her pillow. She then watched as May scanned through her color-coordinated closet.

See, May had laughed when she saw how Dawn's clothes were organized by color: pink, red, blue, yellow, green, purple, brown and then black. But now she liked it because it did look organized and neat and it was easier to find clothes.

"I'm so glad that you and Ash are doing good in your relationship," May said as she rummaged around in Dawn's closet in search of something suitable for her to wear tonight. "How about this?" May pulled out a red sequined top and held it up to show Dawn.

"No. I hate that shirt," Dawn said bluntly.

May rolled her eyes and hung the shirt back in the closet. "It's cute, Dawn. if you don't like it then why'd you get it?"

"I didn't get it. My mom did when she went on that trip to Hoenn with Ash's mom. You know my mom has bad taste."

"Yeah, true." May put the shirt back in the closet and looked again before she came across another interesting shirt. "This one?" May pulled out a blue and red plaid shirt.

"Ew, definitely not." Dawn scrunched up her face in disgust.

May smiled. "Didn't Ash get you this shirt? And you never wore it once." May dangled the shirt in her hands as she spoke, teasing Dawn.

"Ash is another one that has horrible taste. Well at least in girls' clothes."

"You got that right - this shirt is hideous." May hung the shirt back up and continued to go through the closet.

"How do I even know what I'm supposed to wear? He might take me somewhere really nice...so I would have to dress up. But what if he doesn't? Then I would be overdressed. I was thinking maybe I should wear a really cute skirt or a-"

May cut her friend's rambling off and said, "No skirts or dresses. Since it'll be too hot for jeans today, you'll wear shorts. Plus shorts will be perfect for what he has planned for you two." May winked at the bluenette and turned back around.

"He told you where he was taking me?" May nodded her head.

"Where are we going?" Dawn asked. Since May knew where Ash was taking her, she could get May to tell her where Ash was taking her.

"And you're gonna want to wear flip-flops," May said, ignoring Dawn's question on purpose. "They'll be easy to slip on and off for when you two go to..." May trailed off her sentence and smirked at herself. She knew by saying that, she would be teasing Dawn.

May turned around with an outfit in her hands, walked over to Dawn's bed and laid it down on her bed. "You'll see. Here's your outfit for tonight. Yeah, it's simple, but it's cute, a little sexy, and it'll fit perfectly for tonight."

Dawn eyed the outfit with a smile of approval on her face. It was amazing how May could pick out a cute outfit in just ten minutes or less. For Dawn it would have took an hour. Good thing she had May there with her.

"Now go take your shower and I'll do your hair after you put your clothes on." May pushed the bluenette out of her room and down the hallway into the bathroom.

An hour and a half later, Dawn was showered and dressed. Now it was time to do her hair.

"Hm..." May said as she observed Dawn's wet hair. "Got it!" May snapped her fingers and picked up the flatiron as if a light bulb just cut on in her head. "We're leaving your hair straight. It'll be perfect with your outfit."

Dawn didn't say anything. She let May work on her hair; Straighten it with the flat iron, spray it, and other things that Dawn didn't know she did. And she was done in under an hour.

Dawn looked at herself in her full-length mirror and smiled approvingly. Her hair was perfectly straight and curled a little at the end. She was wearing a tight plain white V-neck shirt that stopped above her belly button, a cute blue denim vest lay over her plain white shirt, denim shorts that had little rips on the right thigh and she wore silver flip-flops. Her accessories consisted of a silver heart necklace (gift from Ash), silver hoop earrings, and a silver ring that May gave her as a birthday present.

"You were right May," Dawn said as she admired her beauty in the mirror. "Simple but definitely cute."

"And my wonderful skills succeed again," May said in a smug voice making Dawn playfully roll her eyes. "By the way, Ash texted your phone five minutes ago and said sorry he's late and he'll be here in ten minutes."

"Okay. So now I have five minutes..." Dawn trailed off her sentence and then looked back at May with a smile on her face. "Aren't you and Drew going out tonight?"

"Yes," May said with a dreamy look on her face that made Dawn laugh at her. "We're just going to see a movie and then going back to his house for a while..." May trailed off her sentence when she saw the smirk on Dawn's face. May's cheeks turned red. "Nothing like that is going to happen."

Dawn continued to smirk. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "If you say so~. Anyways, we should have double dated tonight. If would have been fun."

"Gary asked if we could triple date-"

"Isn't he going out with Leaf tonight?" Dawn asked, interrupting May.

"Yeah, I think they're going bowling or something. But as I was saying." May gave Dawn a quick glare for cutting her short of her sentence and continued. "Gary asked if we could triple date but Ash said no because he wanted you to himself. He said he wanted to be alone~ with you." Now it was May's turn to tease Dawn. May winked at Dawn, making her cheeks turn a bright red.

Dawn laughed sheepishly, trying to hide her burning cheeks. This of course caused May to laugh at how shy Dawn was being now.

"Doesn't feel so good does it?" May teased. Dawn rolled her eyes and smiled. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." May picked up some mascara, opened it, and walked over to Dawn. "Ash hasn't told you this, but he loves your eyelashes. He said he likes it when you wear mascara because it brings out your eyes and makes your eyelashes even longer." May ran the brush over Dawn's eyelashes and they instantly curled up a little farther than usual. "Don't tell Ash I told you this, but he told me that when you look at him a certain way...it does something to him. That something? I don't know, he wouldn't tell me, but I think I have a clue of what it is."

"Ash tells you everything, doesn't he?" Dawn asked as May moved over to her left eye. "If I didn't know any better than I'd say you two spend a lot of time together..." Dawn was obviously just kidding when she said that but something inside her was saying otherwise.

May put the mascara top back on the little bottle and sat it down on Dawn's dresser. "Na, Ash just likes to tell me stuff like that rather than Drew or Gary because he says they'll make fun of him or something. I don't know...I don't get boys sometimes."

"Me neither. But we live with them and we love them," Dawn smiled and looked in the mirror at her eyes. "Every time I wear mascara, I never see the difference in my eye color. They don't look brighter or anything."

"They do look a little brighter. Here," May leaned Dawn further into the mirror so she could get a better view of her eyes. "If you look closely, you can see how your eyes got brighter."

"May, I don't see it," Dawn whined.

"Dawn, I'm telling you, your eyes are one shade brigh-" the doorbell-ringing cut off May's sentence. "Ash is here!" May squealed. Dawn started to make sure her hair and clothes were in place. "You look fine, Dawn. Come on." May took Dawn's hand and led her down the stairs.

When they got down stairs, Ash was talking to Johanna about something. Dawn was hoping that her mom hadn't say anything to embarrass her.

"Hey, Ash," May said, smiling as she walked up to Johanna and stood next to her.

Dawn walked over to Ash and he put his arm around her shoulder.

"We should probably get going," Dawn said. She looked up at Ash who looked at her and smiled one of his smiles that made her knees weak. He had that kind of affect on her.

"I'm going to head out too. I have my own date to attend." May smiled and slid past them so she could go out the door. "By Johanna. By you two~" She winked at them and walked out of Dawn's house and got in her car and drove out the driveway.

"I'll have her home sometime tonight, Johanna," Ash said as Dawn's mom walked them to the door.

"Okay, Ash. You two be careful." Ash and Dawn walked out of the house. "Don't do anything Delia and I wouldn't approve of!" She shouted. Dawn waved her fingers at her and got in the car. Johanna smiled as she watched Ash's car drive out of the driveway and down the road.

**x-x-x**

"Okay, okay, I got one," Gary said after he eased his laughter from hearing Drew's joke.

Ash had Drew and Gary come over to his house before he went to pick Dawn up for their day out. At first, he was glad to have his two best friends over for a while but now...he was regretting it. For the past forty-five minutes, they've been making jokes and making up stupid, dirty riddles. However, most of them were funny; he was starting to get highly irritated by them.

"Try to solve this one. It has a rough life. Its hair is always a mess. Its family is nuts. Its neighbor is an asshole. And its owner is abusive and beats him daily. What is it?" Gary smirked as he saw Drew thinking about it.

Ash thought about it for a moment and realized what it is.

"Oooh~" Drew said, smiling. Gary started to laugh. "It's a-"

Ash stopped Drew from finishing. He turned to look at his idiot friends, glaring at them. "What the hell? Dawn and I are just about on the verge of breaking up and you two are talking about dicks?"

"We're not talking about them, were making jokes about them," Drew pointed out with a smirk clear on his face.

Gary laughed. He loved when Ash got annoyed because of him or Drew; it was always funny. "Besides, I thought you and Dawn were doing good these past couple of weeks? How are you two on the verge of breaking up?" Gary asked. Gary walked over to Ash's bedside where Ash was currently laying on his back with his hands behind his head. Gary pulled up a chair, sat it next to Ash's bed, and sat down.

"That's exactly it!" Ash exclaimed. "We're doing really good...a little too good. I think it's somewhat weird that we've been this high on cloud nine for two weeks, Gary. We've never been like this before. We'd always have at least one rock thrown at us - at least one. But nothing - and I mean nothing - has disturbed our relationship for these past two weeks."

"Don't you like that?" Drew asked. He was spinning around in circles in Ash's rolling chair. He stopped spinning, his eyes went crazy for a moment, and his head was spinning from dizziness. But it wasn't long before he was spinning in circles again, liking the dizziness.

"Yeah, what's with wrong the perfect relationship you two have?" Gary asked, his eyes never leaving Ash. "If I was you, I wouldn't want anything messing my girlfriend and I up."

Ash groaned and covered his face with his eyes. "You two aren't getting it!" he groaned. "It's just too perfect. I love our relationship and I love that nothing has happened these past weeks...but it's just weird that nothing has. Usually I would make her mad at least one during the week or the other way around. Or we might have an argument and not talk to each other for a few hours. But that hasn't happened either."

"I don't understand what you're saying, Ketchum," Gary said while he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Basically, Ash," Drew said, once he stopped spinning around for the time being. "You want something bad to happen? You don't want this absolutely perfect relationship?"

"Yes!" Ash said as he threw his arms in the air as if to say finally, you got it! "I do want something to happen. When it's perfect like this, I worry...because you know the saying 'the calm before the storm'? Well, what if all of this 'perfectness'" - He used his fingers as quotation marks when he said perfectness - "is just the calm...and then later something big happens...something that could ruin our relationship? This is why I don't like his perfect relationship. I want her to be mad at me, or I want to be mad at her, or I want to get into a little disagreement with her. Then I'll know it won't be perfect...and I don't have to worry."

"Oh," Gary said. "I see what you're saying now. Whenever something is perfect, something is always bound to happen to mess it up."

"Exactly," Ash said with a sigh.

"Wait, isn't that a good thing, though Ash?" Drew asked. "Not the messing up the relationship part, but the perfect part? Didn't Misty tell you to win Dawn back over and wean her off Kai? Isn't that what you did, Ash? You and Dawn went back to how you used to be. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Drew's got a point there," Gary said with a knowing look on his face. "I mean, Dawn isn't all stuck on Kai like she used to be - or at least it seems like it when we're around her - and that is what you wanted right?"

Gary and Drew watched as Ask quietly shook his head.

Drew smirked. "It's like a genie granted you the perfect wish for the perfect relationship and now it backfires as always."

Gary chuckled, but Ash found nothing amusing. "Shut up, Drew," Gary said for Drew's benefit.

"I like the fact that she's not falling all over him anymore...I just don't like the perfectness. Yeah, I got her back and yeah, I think I got her off Kai, but I didn't think our relationship would be like this. This isn't how we used to be before Kai came along. I mean, we were...but as I said before we had little difficulties. Now: None."

"Ash, I think you're thinking about this too much," Drew said.

"I think you're just stressing over nothing. So what your relationship is perfect? You're just thinking too much into it. Nothing is going to happen. There's no 'calm before the storm' in this situation. You did what Misty said: Get her back. And that's what matters." Gary folded his arms with a smug look on his face that made Ash want to smack him, but he knew Gary was right...maybe.

"So," Drew started. "What time are you picking Dawn up?"

"Four thirty," Ash answered.

"It's three thirty now," Gary, added.

"Which means I need to get ready and you two need to leave."

Drew hopped up from the rolling chair and began to walk out of Ash's room. Gary shrugged his shoulders and walk behind Drew, with Ash trailing behind the both of them.

"You really should have made this a triple date, Ash." Gary said as he opened the door and stepped out of Ash's house. "We would have had more fun." Gary smirked and looked at Drew.

"Maybe next time," Ash said. "I want to be alone with Dawn today. Plus, it wouldn't be as romantic if we had four other people with us. Besides, I don't know why you two are still bugging me about it because you're taking your girlfriends out tonight."

Drew smirked. "We understand, Ash. You want to be alone with Dawn..." He trailed off his sentence and flipped his hair. "So you could..." Ash's cheeks started to turn a bright red.

"No! Not that at all," Ash said sheepishly.

"It's okay, Ash," Gary said as he walked away. "We understand."

"But...that's not- Forget it!" It was too late to finish his sentence because Drew and Gary were already in the car, pulling off, and honking the horn at him as the Gary backed the car out of the driveway.

Ash closed the front door and went back upstairs to his room to get ready.

...

The raven-haired boy took a little longer to get ready than he wanted to. The time had slipped from him while he was in the shower. He looked at the clock that hung on the wall in the living room. It read 4:28 p.m. He took out his cell phone and sent Dawn a text message saying sorry he was late and he will be there in ten minutes.

Ash grabbed his car keys and headed out the door. He got into his car, stuck the key in the ignition, pulled out the driveway, and made his way to Dawn's house. And in exactly ten minutes, he made it.

He walked up to her door and rung the doorbell. He noticed that his hands were starting to shake a little as he waited for someone to answer the door. 'What the heck? Why are my hands shaking?' he asked himself.

It wasn't nervousness...was it?

But why would he be nervous around his girlfriend? He'd taken her many places before, so why was he acting nervous now?

"Hey, Ash!" The door swung wide open, revealing an older blue hair woman. She smiled and stepped aside to let him in. Ash smiled at her and walked in the house. The older woman stood back and examined Ash before saying, "Ash, you've got to be the handsomest boy I ever seen." Ash blushed at her compliment and said a sheepish 'thanks'.

Johanna stepped aside and let Ash in the house. "So, where are you and Dawn going today?" Johanna asked.

Right when Ash was about to answer, Dawn and May made their way down the stairs, his eyes on Dawn the whole time. He could see the sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Ash," May said, smiling as she walked up to Johanna and stood next to her.

Dawn made her way over to Ash, sliding her arm around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. He could smell her heavenly scent that bounced off her body and filled his nose. He loved her smell.

"We should probably get going," Dawn said. She looked up at Ash who looked at her and smiled.

"I'm going to head out too. I have my own date to attend," May said. She smiled and slid past them so she could go out the door. "By Johanna. By you two~" She winked at them and walked out of Dawn's house and got in her car and drove out the driveway.

"I'll have her home sometime tonight, Johanna," Ash said as Dawn's mom walked them to the door.

"Okay, Ash. You two be careful." Ash and Dawn walked out of the house. "Don't do anything Delia and I wouldn't approve of!" She shouted. This made both of them blush. They knew exactly what she was hinting at.

Dawn waved her fingers at her mother and got in the car.

Ash pulled out the driveway and drove out of her neighborhood. It wasn't long until they were on the interstate.

"So, are you going to tell me where you're taking me?" Dawn asked. She looked over at Ash. He looked at her for a quick second and started to smile. He grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers.

"Nope," he answered.

"Why not?"

"Because it's a surprise."

"Can it not be a surprise?" she asked innocently. Ash chuckled and shook his head.

"You'll see when we get there."

**x-x-x**

"Is this your first time riding on a Rapidash?" The man asked as he walked alongside two of the fire horse pokemon.

"Yes," Dawn replied as she gazed at the beautiful creatures. They looked dangerous with the flames spurring off their body and their deep red eyes, but they were sweet and calm. One of the horses walked over to Dawn and nuzzled their head in her hand, making her giggle and rub the horses head carefully so she wouldn't touch the flame.

"Call me Matt," Matt said. Matt looked like he was about in his early twenties. He had blond hair, light blue eyes and dimples popped up on his face whenever he talked or smiled. Dawn thought he was cute. "These two, Tink and Cruser, are gentle. And they're the couple of the group." The man winked at Ash and Dawn at when he said couple. "They shouldn't give you a hard time since it's your first ride. But let me warn you, Cruser can get a little wild and daring somtimes-"

"Oh yeah!" Ash exclaimed before Matt could finish his sentence and walked over to Cruser. "I'll take Cruser then. I like wild and daring." Ash smiled and hopped on the horses back.

"Young man, you have to put a-" Matt cut his sentence short. It was too late. Ash was already sitting on the horses back. Matt sweat dropped and shook his head, waiting for the heat to get to Ash's bottom.

In a matter of seconds,

"AAAH!" Ash hollered and jumped off Cruser's back and started to run around to somehow cool off his burnt butt. Cruser snorted through his nose, mocking Ash.

"Ash," Dawn groaned as she stopped Ash from running. "You have to put a saddle on its back before you sit on him so you won't get burned." Dawn started to laugh at him as he gave her that 'Now you tell me' look.

The blue-eyed man shook his head and picked up to saddles from a nearby fence. He handed one to Dawn to put on Tink and he put the other one on Cruser himself. "Anyways, Tink is the sweet one. Very loving and she's affectionate." Matt helped Dawn to get on Tink's back and smiled at her once she was on. Dawn had to stop herself from staring at him. His dimples were very eye catching. "Now you two get going and have a good time."

"Thank you!" Dawn smiled and the fire type took of running onto a path in the distance, not even caring to wait for Ash.

Matt walked over to Ash, who was just getting on Cruser. "There's a nice mountain cliff right at the very end of that path." Matt pointed towards the path and looked back at Ash. "Has a beautiful view. It's romantic up there. A lot of couples ride Ponytas or Rapidashs up there; it's a really popular spot. So if you want a romantic time, I suggest you take your girl up there." Matt winked at Ash, took a step back, and nudged the horse so he could start running before Ash could say anything.

"AH!" Ash jerked backwards, almost falling, as Cruser started to run towards the path. He balanced himself again, and waved a hand in the air. "Thanks!" He shouted over his shoulder before disappearing along the path.

Dawn smiled, enjoying the breeze flowing through her hair as the pokemon galloped through the light forest. "Whoa, girl," she said as she gently tugged the reins, stopping the horse. She stopped under a tree that was located close to the edge of a cliff and carefully got off Tink's back. She walked a little closer to the edge and gazed in amazement at the sight before her.

Tall, healthy trees surrounded a beautiful lake that glowed under the sun's light. The water was calm, little ripples popping up here and there whenever a pokemon that lived in the lake would come up to the surface and quickly retreat back down. The trees danced with the slight breeze whenever it blew. The bird pokemon inhabiting the trees chirped and sung their beautiful, peaceful songs.

"Wow," she said and took another careless step... "AH!" Her heart nearly stopped and a feeling in her stomach instantly got that feeling that she was dropping from high heights. She almost fell forward, but someone wrapped their arms around her and pulled her into them. Getting the feeling that she was about to go over the cliff, her heart was beating rapidly.

"Dawn, be careful," the person whispered. She knew that voice and she relaxed herself into him. He walked backwards getting away from the edge. "I got here at the right time, didn't I? I almost lost my girlfriend."

"Good thing you didn't," Dawn said trying to catch her breath.

"You okay?" Ash asked, with worry in his voice.

"Yes," Dawn said, giving him a smile.

"Good." Ash secured his arms around Dawn's waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "It really is a nice view."

They took in the view for a minute and Ash lead her under the tree where he sat down, leaning his back on the tree trunk, and pulled Dawn in his lap.

They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the beautiful view until Ash said, "Dawn?"

"Hm?" she answered.

"What toy did you always sleep with when you were younger?"

This question was random and caught Dawn by surprise. She smiled and looked up at Ash. "Where did that question come from?"

"I don't know myself. It just crossed my mind."

Dawn smiled. "I used to sleep with a stuffed Piplup that my mom got me on my birthday when I turned five. I did everything with it. I used to have tea parties with it and everywhere I went it went with me."

Ash chuckled. "Tea parties?"

"I was young, Ash. A tea party with your stuffed animals is one of the best things ever when you're five, six, and seven."

"Do you still have it?"

"No. My mom accidently threw it away while she was cleaning up my room. I think I was thirteen…" Dawn trailed off her sentence and started to think about it until Ash's laughter interrupted her thinking.

"Thirteen and still playing with toys? You know it wasn't that long ago – four years."

"Whatever. It's not like I was still playing with it. I grew up and stopped playing with it, but I did still sleep with it at night."

"Whatever. You were still thirteen with a love for stuffed toys." Ash laughed.

"Okay, Mr. Ketchum. Since you want to laugh, how about you tell me what toy you slept with every night." Ash quickly stopped laughing and started to blush. Dawn noticed this and thought it was cute.

"I didn't sleep with a toy," Ash said sheepishly. "I was a tough boy. I didn't carry around stuffed animals."

Dawn giggled. "Your cheeks are telling me otherwise. Either you can tell me or I can call your mom and ask her. And I know she'll give me a lot more of embarrassing information then you'll tell me…" Dawn smirked and gently rubbed her finger across Ash's hand. "So…you'd be better of telling me."

Ash thought for a moment. If he told Dawn…he wouldn't have to tell her everything. However, if she called Delia…then she would tell Dawn everything just to embarrass him.

"Fine," Ash spoke. "I had a teddy bear when I was six."

"And?"

"What do you mean 'and'? He asked, making his fingers resemble quotation marks.

"What did you do with it…?"

"Nothing…it was just lying around my room?" He said in a question tone, not even sure if he convinced himself.

"Ash, I'm not stupid. That bear was your favorite toy wasn't it?" Dawn started to smile.

"No, of course not. It was just a stupid bear that my mom gave me for Christmas."

"Ash~" Dawn said in a warning tone. She knew Ash was lying. A boy wouldn't tell his girlfriend he had a teddy bear if there wasn't any history behind it.

"Okay, okay. It was my best friend…I took it almost everywhere with me. I did not take it to my friends' house because I knew they would tease me if they knew I had it. And whenever friends came over, I hid it in my closet so they wouldn't see it."

Now, it was Dawn's turn to laugh. She could imagine a little Ash Ketchum walking around, holding a bear to his chest. It would've been a cute sight, but at the same time hilarious.

"It's not funny," Ash, said feeling embarrassed that he just told that secret to his girlfriend. She was the first person that he ever told. "I was young and didn't know any better."

"Sorry Ash. But it's just funny. I never would have thought that you out of all people would have owned a teddy bear." Her sentence made Ash blush, which just caused her to laugh more. "So what did you name it? I know you had a name for it."

Ash took a deep breath before answering. He knew that she was going to crack up when he answered. "Mr. Snuggles…"

And she did just that.

"Mr. Snuggles, Ash? Really? You couldn't think of a better name?"

"Once again, Dawn, I was young." By now, Ash's cheeks were extremely red from embarrassment. Now, he was wishing that he never brought up the whole childhood toy thing.

"Whatever you say Ash. How old were you when you finally stopped playing with it?"

"Much younger than you," Ash said. "I stopped playing with it when I turned ten and got Pikachu."

"Awe, so you've been taking that bear with you for four years." Dawn teased him with a small smile.

"You can't talk Miss I had tea parties with my dolls. You had that stuffed Piplup for eight years. You might even still have it if your mom hadn't thrown it away."

"I was a girl, Ash. It was okay for me to do that…but you on the other hand - I'm not so sure about. And I would not still have it! Not when I have the real Piplup."

"Okay, if you say so. But don't tell anyone I told you that. Only you and my mom know about obsession with that thing."

Dawn giggled. "Okay, Ash. I'll keep your little secret. But really, it's not embarrassing. I think it's cute.

"Then why were you laughing?"

"Who wouldn't laugh? It was surprising. I couldn't help but laugh. Actually, I don't think no one would be able to contain their laughs."

"I guess you're right. But I still don't want you to tell anyone."

"I won't Ash," Dawn snuggled into Ash more and smiled.

Another silence fell between them as they cuddled under the tree. It wasn't awkward or weird at all. It was more like a peaceful and loving silence. They listened to the bird pokemon sing their lovely tunes. In addition, they could hear the baby bird pokemon chirping in the nest most likely waiting for their parents' return with food.

Dawn got an idea and slid her hand underneath his shirt. His hard muscles of his stomach jumped at her touch. She couldn't help but giggle to herself – not because it was funny, but because she could still cause his body to react like that, even after she done it a million times before.

"If you could draw the sounds the birds are making," Dawn said, "it would be like the surface of that lake when you dribble water into it. A circle around a drop." Dawn put her fingers together on his skin, then expanded them outward, trailing her fingertips. "Another circle." She moved her fingers and expanded them out. "Another circle." Dawn moved her fingers. "And lines between them, as you move the water drop from one place to another on the surface." Dawn dragged her finger up his stomach to his chest.

He gasped.

This time, Dawn had to laugh. "Sorry, Ash."

He smiled and put his hand on top of hers, with only his shirt between them. "Don't be sorry." Ash slid his hand across his chest, onto Dawn's shirt, and ventured underneath. He did this very cautiously, waiting for her to stop him.

But she didn't.

"I see what you mean about the circles." He drew expanding circles with his fingertips in different places on her stomach, just as she had done to him. "And the lines. But to me, it wouldn't look like the surface of a lake. It would look like fireworks." He dragged one finger from the waistband of her shorts upwards, dipping into her bellybutton, causing her to giggle, and out again. That one was a bottle rocket shooting off.

Dawn loved the feeling of Ash's fingers on her bare stomach.

Ash pressed his lips on Dawn's and kissed her. Dawn removed her hand from under his shirt and placed it on his chest. His hand remained under her shirt, his fingers drawing expanding circles. She smiled and tried to contain her giggles as they kissed - she didn't want to break the kiss but with his fingertips tickling her stomach, it made it hard not too.

Ash broke the kiss and stared at his girlfriend intently, smiling. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you were tickling me," Dawn giggled and gave him a soft peck on the lips.

A devious smile crossed Ash's face. "You mean like this..." Ash started to move his fingers in more expanding circles, dipping into her belly button, making her laugh. "Or do you mean like this..." Ash quickly took his hand from under her shirt and placed it firmly on her waist, as well as his other hand, flipped her on her back while he hovered over her, tickling her most ticklish areas: stomach and ribs.

"Ash," Dawn managed to say in between laughing. "S-stop!"

Ash continued to tickle her. "Nope."

Dawn squirmed underneath him, trying to get away from his tickling attack. But it was no use because he was bigger and stronger than her, so it was hard to push him off. She could see the enjoyment on his face as he watched her laugh and shout pleas for him to stop his assault.

"Ash~" Dawn whined. "Please stop!"

"Fine," Ash smiled and finally stopped tickling her.

She sat up, trying to catch her breath.

Ash watched her desperately trying to catch her breath after laughing so much. Her chest was heaving up and down rapidly and her hair was messed up a little bit; a few strands of her were out of place. Ash couldn't help but laugh.

"AH!" Ash hollered as he was slammed on his back. That caught him by surprise. The bluenette had pushed Ash on the ground, so this time she was on top of him.

"Not so funny now is it?" Dawn teased. She was putting all he weight down to keep him in place. She glared down on him with a playful smirk on her face. "Time for my revenge."

"Good luck," Ash said. "I have no weaknesses like you do." Ash smiled. He could have easily got from under her, but decided against it. He thought it was sexy to have his girlfriend on top of him.

The bluenette stared down at him for a few more seconds, his eyes staring back at her like he was challenging her, then she released her grip on him and laid on the grass next to him. "You're lucky I'm too tired to get you back," Dawn said as she moved closer to him.

"Whatever," he smiled and wrapped his arm around, bringing her closer to his body. "There's no way to get me back. I'm not ticklish like you are."

"True...but I'm not sensitive in some areas like you are." Dawn smirked. She could see from the corner of her eyes his cheeks light up red. "Yeah, I thought so Ketchum."

"That wouldn't be fair!"

"Tickling me wasn't fair! That was a sneak attack."

"It wasn't a sneak attack, Dawn. You knew what I was doing," Ash stated.

"I didn't think you would take it that far. Therefore, it was a sneak attack. And I had a free pass to do whatever I wanted. Which was going to be to mess with you."

"Which wouldn't last long...at all. See, I wouldn't let you get to me."

"Oh really? You always give in...and don't deny it." A cocky smile formed on the bluenette's face. "I guess I have that kind of affect on you."

"You do," Ash admitted. "But this time, I would have controlled myself."

Dawn scoffed and rolled her eyes. She loved the times like this when her and Ash would challenge each other and have a playful argument about it.

She gazed up at the big Oak tree they were lying under. Ash's finger was slowly moving back and forth on her arm. She studied the tree. It was big and healthy. The leaves were vivid green with a few white flowers sprouting in the tree.

"Ash, we need to have a tree in our backyard just like this one so you can build a tree house for our two kids."

Ash smiled. "You mean three kids," Ash said correcting her.

"Three? That would be a lot of intuition money for college."

"No it wouldn't. By the time we're married and got our own house, I'll be a pokemon master and you'll be a top coordinator. We'll have all the money in the world. And the only thing I would want to do with it is spend it on you and my three children."

"Awe~" Dawn turned on her side so she was facing him. Ash pulled her closer to him. She laid her left hand on his chest. "Okay, so maybe...four children. And the first three will be boys and the fourth a girl so she'll have extra protection."

"Yeah, she'll need it if she looks anything like you. Her brothers will run away any boys that try to even talk to her...just the way I'll want it." Ash smirked.

"No, that wouldn't be fair. They'll all have to wait a certain age before they can date. I was thinking fourteen?"

"The boys...twelve. And the girl...thirty." Ash started to laugh.

"Ash, you're so unfair." Dawn giggled. "But maybe we shouldn't have dating rules. Our moms don't have rules...so maybe we shouldn't give them any."

"How about they can have a boyfriend or girlfriend at least in or after fifth grade, but can't actually start going out on dates until fourteen?"

Dawn thought for a moment and smiled. "Yeah, I like that. Maybe you won't be so bad of a dad, Ash."

Ash laughed and stroked her arm with his finger. "I'm going to be the best husband and dad ever. And I'll even teach them how to raise and train pokemon just like me. They'll all be little pokemon trainers in training. They'll grow up to be just as good as me."

"Wait a minute. Not all of them. You take the boys and I'll take the girl. She'll be a pokemon coordinator and she'll win all of her contest. One of the boys might even show interest in pokemon contest," Dawn said.

"No son of mines will be doing pokemon contest."

"What's wrong with contest?"

"Nothing...they're just for girls."

"Drew does them."

"Okay, so maybe they're not only for girls. But...come one...it's Drew! He's different. Besides, I want all of my sons to follow in my footsteps."

"Well, only if they want to."

"Right. I won't force them to do anything they don't want to do.

Dawn smiled. She rested her head on Ash's chest. "Just imagine us two...married with kids."

"I Can see it all in my head," Ash said. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. The thought of him and Dawn married with kids was overwhelming to him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and he was determined to make that happen. One day his dreams would come true. After he went and finished college, reached the goal of becoming a pokemon master, his dream could become reality.

"Ash?" Dawn's small voice interrupted Ash from his thoughts. Something has been on her mind lately. He never brought the subject up but someone else has. And ever since that day, she's been thinking about it. But she never brought it up because there was never the right moment to do talk about it...except for now. It seemed like the perfect moment to bring it up...

"Yes, beautiful?" Ash said. Dawn's cheeks turned red. It has been almost two years and she still blushes when he calls her beautiful or compliments her. Dawn took a little while to say something else. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Dawn replied. "There's just something I wanted to ask you. It's been on my mind for a while now."

"What's on your mind, Dawn? Is everything okay?" Ash looked at her with concern in his eyes.

She started to trace her finger on his chest as she spoke, "Are you going to college this year?"

Ash drew in a breath and held it for a few seconds before he let it out. This topic caught him by surprise...he was actually hoping to avoid it until the time came or at least for a little while longer.

"I don't know yet. My mom wants me to go. Actually, she's trying to make me apply to colleges now."

Dawn drew a heart shape with her finger on Ash's chest. "What do you want to do?" Dawn asked. She sounded like she was...shy? But why would she be shy. Or what is...something else?

"Umm...I don't know. I want to go to college after school ends."

Dawn continued to draw on his chest with her fingertip. Her mind was filling up with thoughts of Ash leaving her behind to go to college. Their relationship would be gone. Their relationship wouldn't work if he were in college. They wouldn't see each other. And if Ash was in college and Dawn was not, he could do anything and Dawn wouldn't know about it. Of course, there would be plenty of hot girls walking around on campus and Ash could more than likely have them if he wanted...so why wouldn't he hook up with one without being caught since his real girlfriend wouldn't find out?

Now she wished she had kept her mouth closed. She didn't want to talk about this anymore.

"But I told my mom I could always wait another year. I want to wait for you to finish high school and we can go to college together."

Dawn stopped drawing on Ash's chest and looked up at Ash through her eyelashes. "Y-you're willing to do that?"

"Yeah," Ash said as if it was nothing. "I don't want to leave you. It would be too hard. I wouldn't see you for almost a year and I wouldn't be able to handle that."

Dawn was happy that she was hearing him say this. All of her worries flew out of head.

"But how about we don't worry about that right now? We'll talk about it when the time comes."

"Okay," Dawn whispered. That was fine with her. As he said, they'd cross that bridge when they got there. Dawn's blue eyes looked around until they stopped on two pokemon.

The pokemon were currently grazing. They looked so graceful and beautiful.

Dawn sat up and looked at Ash. His eyes were closed. "Wake up," Dawn tugged on his hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Ash asked, sitting up.

"We're going to go ride Rapidash, silly. Isn't that why you brought me here?" Dawn smiled and stood up.

Ash watched her run over to the two Rapidash. She rubbed their heads. You could tell that both horse-like pokemon liked her. The bluenette got on Tink's and motioned for Ash to come on with her hand.

He obliged and got up and headed towards Cruser and hopped on his back.

"I'll race you," Ash said.

"A race?" Dawn repeated, her voice sounded like she was interested. "What do you think Tink?" The fire type made a sound of approval and eyed Cruser, challenging him.

Ash saw them eyeing each other down and said, "I think that's a yes, then. Whoever gets to that tree first, wins." Ash pointed to a smaller tree that was a quite far away.

"Fine," Dawn said, "easy enough. Get ready to lose!"

"We won't be the ones los – HEY! YOU CHEATED!" He yelled. All he could hear was her laughing. "Let's go catch 'em, Cruser." The pokemon took off running. Good thing Dawn wasn't too far ahead.

**x-x-x**

"That was really fun, Ash. We have to go Rapidash back riding again," Dawn exclaimed.

"It was fun for you; you didn't fall of Rapidash four times in a row." Ash rubbed his right shoulder in pain. Riding a Rapidash again was off his list forever.

"I tried to tell you to use both hands when riding," Dawn said. "But nooo! You wanted to show off and now you're paying for it." Dawn laughed and put her hand on his throbbing shoulder.

"I was just doing a trick. And it worked. Before I fell the fourth time, I was able to stay on for five seconds without holding on."

Dawn rolled her eyes. Ash had somehow managed to convince himself that he could ride on the fire type without holding onto it. So, the outcome was he fell of Rapidash's back three times. You would have thought that the boy learned his lesson after the third fall or maybe even the first, but he didn't. He was determined to master his trick until he fell the fourth time and hurt his shoulder when he hit the ground.

"Ash, that was not worth hurting yourself. Leave the tricks to the people who are actually _good_ at riding Rapidash."

"I will," Ash said, still rubbing his shoulder.

"Good," Dawn said. "So, where are you taking me now?"

It was now seven thirty and the sky was dark. The moon was out and stars were twinkling in the sky. This was the time of year that the sun set early and it got dark quick.

Ash and Dawn spend most of their time Rapidash back riding. And now it was time for the next surprise. Ash had told her that he had a few more surprises for her and she was more than anxious to know what he had planned.

Ash didn't answer her question. He only smirked, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and brought her closer to him as they walked. They were walking on a busy sidewalk. Where they were was actually quite busy. Cars were speeding by and honking their horns, unnecessarily. Other teenagers were walking behind or in front of them. They were obviously headed to the same place Ash and Dawn were headed but not at the exact same spot. And some families were out with their children, either going to the place or taking their kids there because some of the children were quite excited.

Ash led her to a secret path that led to his perfect private stop. The path was narrow and since night had fallen, it was dark. Dawn held onto for her protection. Walking in the dark wasn't one of her favorite things to do. However, she did feel safe with her boyfriend.

Finally, they reached the end of the path. Ash moved tree branches out of the way that hid what was behind them.

They took a few more steps together and Dawn felt something soft and warm slide between her pedicure toes. "Is it safe to open my eyes now?" she asked quietly.

Along the way, she had closed her eyes. She didn't like the dark and even though it was a ninety-nine percent chance of not happening, she didn't want to see anything scary. She had a bad experience a long time ago.

Ash chuckled. "Yes, Dawn, you can open your eyes now."

Dawn sighed in relief and opened her eyes, nearly gasping at the sight.

The moon was full and its light illuminated the sky, along with the star's help. Bright shining stars covered the stars, looking like millions of tiny dots waiting to be connected. The moon's light lit up the surface of the serene blue water. The small waves sounded as they calmly ran over the shore and back, taking a few grains of sands with it and leaving strands of seaweed as if it was making a trade.

The soft, quiet soothing tunes of hidden Kriketunes echoed throughout the widespread beach.

Dawn looked around seeing that no one was in sight. It was just them two. But a little faraway from them looked like a spread out blanket with a candle or some type of flame in the middle of it and she could see some shadows surrounding it. Maybe they're not alone but it was still romantic.

Ash looked at his girlfriend and smiled. She looked beautiful. The amazement was clear on her face and in her eyes. The moon's light lit up her face and her eyes twinkled and sparkled brighter more than any star in the sky and he was sure of that.

"This one of my surprises," Ash said.

Dawn was amazed. Yes, she has been to the beach a lot during nighttime but it was always full with other people: other teenagers, old people, couples, families, and of course wild children. But never has Ash taken her to the beach on a date and she has never been to the beach that wasn't filled with people. And the view was beautiful. When you went to the beach that was teaming with thousands of people, you didn't get a good night view of the beach like this.

"It's more?" Dawn asked, turning to face Ash.

"Yeah. Come on, I'll show you." Ash took her hand in his and led her down to beach.

He led her right to the blanket that she saw from a distance.

It was a light, little picnic. Small finger sandwiches were arranged neatly on a plate. There was a bowl of potatoes chips. Fresh strawberries and blueberries were mixed together in a container. And a wine shaped bottle of Welch's Sparkling Red Grape Juice was placed near two wine glasses.

And to top it all off, there was a candle placed in the middle of the blanket.

Dawn sat down on the blanket and Ash sat next to her.

"Ash, this is so sweet!" the bluenette squealed.

"Really? I didn't think you would like it that much because it's not mu-"

Dawn silenced him by giving him a sweet peck on the lips. She could tell her was about to start rambling, unnecessarily. "It's perfect Ash."

Ash smiled at her and picked up a finger sandwich. "Its turkey," he said before taking a bite out of the sandwich. Turkey was Dawn's favorite type sandwich.

"You outdid yourself, Ash." Dawn laughed and picked up a small sandwich and took a small bite. "Mmm~ this is good, Ash."

"It's just your typical everyday sandwich, Dawn," the raven-haired boy said, jokingly. Ash picked up another finger sandwich and started munching on it.

"You know what I mean."

"Mhm," was all Ash could say. His mouth was stuffed. By now he was on his fourth sandwich and Dawn was giving him a weird look. She had seen him eat like this before...but she still gave him those weird looks. "What?"

"Your eating habits, Ash, are terrible." She leaned over to him and wiped away a few crumbs from the corner of his mouth with her thumb.

"I can't help it," the brown-eyed boy shrugged. "At least I'm not eating like I'm shy when I'm around my girlfriend." Ash smiled, popped a potatoes chip in his mouth, and turned his head away from Dawn's direction to avoid the glare he knew he was getting.

Dawn knew exactly what he was getting at. "I do not eat like I'm shy when I'm around you," Dawn said, defensively.

"Yes you do. You eat like a girl."

"Hmm..." Dawn said, pretending to think. "Well, maybe because I _am_ a girl!"

Ash laughed. "I mean, like, you take little bites and eat soo...proper and dainty. You're still on your first sandwich and only half way through it."

Dawn blushed. She _was_ still on her first sandwich and with her little bites didn't get her too far.

"And I know you don't eat like that until you get around me."

"How do you know how I eat?" Dawn asked.

"Gary and Drew told me," Ash said simply.

"Why were you guys talking about how I eat?"

"Um...because w-we" Ash started to look nervous as Dawn eyed him. "Look, that's not important right now. Why don't you eat like May? She doesn't care how she eats in front of her boyfriend." Ash teased her with a cute smile.

"Well I'm not May...and it's Drew! He doesn't care! I choose not to eat like that in front of you. Because...I don't want you to think I'm greedy or anything."

"I won't think you're greedy. Actually, it'll be cute and funny."

"Yeah, it'll be cute to watch your girlfriend stuff her face," Dawn said with a sarcastic tone of voice and fake smile. "You'll be looking at me weird!"

"You're my girlfriend. I'm supposed to look at you." Ash smiled.

"But not in a weird way," Dawn retorted.

"I'm going to look at you weird." Ash assured her.

"Ugh," Dawn groaned. "I can't believe we're having this conversation." Dawn picked up a blueberry from the container and threw it at Ash to which he caught perfectly in his mouth.

"You should throw another one." Dawn shrugged her shoulders and threw another one at him. And he caught it in his mouth again. "I bet you can't do that," Ash said while smirking.

"Oh please, anyone can catch a blueberry in their mouth. Throw one."

Ash picked up a blueberry. He threw the blueberry towards her and she caught it in her mouth. She smiled, cockily at him. "You just got lucky. Try to catch another one." He threw another berry at her and she caught that one in her mouth also.

"Tastes sweet," Dawn said. "I told you anyone can catch a blueberry in their mouth."

"You won't catch this one." Before Dawn could reply Ash threw the blueberry at her, catching her off guard and it hit her in her head and bounced off, falling somewhere in the sand. Ash laughed and before he knew it, a blueberry came hurling towards him and smacked him in the nose.

Now it was Dawn's turn to laugh. "You didn't catch that one, Ash."

Ash smiled deviously and scooped up some blueberries in his hand. "You won't catch these."

Dawn stopped laughing and took off running. Ash chased his girlfriend with blueberries in his hand, trying to hit her with them. He laughed as one hit her on the arm.

"Ash you're so childish!" Dawn said over her shoulder. She laughed as she dodge a blueberry. "You have bad aim!" Dawn ran over to the picnic and scooped a few blueberries in her hand. "It's war time now, Ashy."

Ash saw the devious look in her eyes and ran after he threw a blueberry that hit her in the forehead. Dawn ran after him, throwing blueberries at him until she ran at. Unfortunately, he dodged all of her assaults.

Now, they were just chasing each other and having fun. Dawn loved the times just like this one where her and Ash would have so much fun together by just acting crazy. She loved how comfortable she was around him. Most girls, aren't too comfortable around their boyfriends like Dawn is.

Ash closed in on Dawn and grabbed her waist and pulled her back onto which caused them to both fall on the sand with Dawn on top. They were both laughing, but it slowly died down as their gaze in each other's eyes deepened.

Dawn could feel Ash's breath on her lips; they were so close and getting closer. Dawn parted her lips slightly and closed the small remaining gap so their lips could touch. Soft, loving, and sweet could describe their kiss.

His arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her body more into his. Dawn's left hand rested on his shoulder while the other traveled up to his hair.

She deepened the kiss by slowly sliding her tongue into his mouth. This action caught him by surprise. Usually he was the one that started the tongue kissing. Her tongue moved into his mouth, touching his tongue and his teeth, and he moaned a bit into her mouth.

Reluctantly, she removed her tongue from his mouth, just giving him a little tease. She knew he wanted more. Ash softly bit down on her lip, causing her to giggle and break the kiss.

"I can't kiss you without you breaking it," Ash said softly, smiling.

"Just today," Dawn said. "You've been making me..." she trailed off her sentence and smiled at him before she laid on his chest and looked up at the stars.

"Dawn, you make it so hard," Ash said as he stroked her hair. "That was intense...or at least getting there."

Dawn looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled innocently.

"Don't look at me like that," Ash said, mesmerized by her innocent look. And with her eyelashes, it only added to her 'innocent look'.

"Why?" Dawn asked sweetly. "Does it do something to you?" She remembered what May had told her earlier that day about how Ash feels about her eyelashes. She fought back her smile and waited for Ash to answer her question.

"Yes..." Ash said, looking away with blush lightly dusting his cheeks. Dawn loved it when he blushed. It was cute.

Dawn started to circle her finger around on his chest. "What does it do?"

"Why would I tell you?" Ash asked with a small smile. "So you could use it on me?"

"Mhm..." Dawn answered.

"That's not going to happen. Just know that I know you're _not_ as innocent as you look."

Dawn giggled and rested her hand on Ash's chest. "I thought I already proved that?"

"You did...big time. But you know, that was a while ago and you could have gained some innocence back over the time. But I see you haven't." Ash laughed and Dawn playfully flicked his chest.

"I'm not that bad. I was just messing with you."

"Right~...but if you were just playing, you could lose that innocence again. Like I said...it's been a while."

"Very tempting," Dawn said. "But I'm pretty sure you can wait another while."

"I can, but if you keep doing what you're doing, then I'll be forced to hold you down and tease you just as bad as you've done me...until you beg for it."

Dawn laughed and walked two fingers up his chest and said, "Ash, if anything I'll have you begging for it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I just have that kind of affect on you. And you can't deny it."

"Maybe...but you can't resist me either. I know your secret spot. And all I have to do it is go to it and your mines."

"Not true! It didn't work last week."

"That's because you were being stubborn last week. I didn't know what your problem was. I was thinking it was your time of the month..." Ash trailed off his sentence and waited for her to say something, but a reply never came. Must have been her time...

Ash shuddered at the thought. He did not like thinking of his girlfriend and her 'time of the month'. It was all too weird and gross for him.

Dawn and Ash laid in silence on the beach. Dawn had her eyes closed, letting the swoosh of the waves washing up on the shore calm her. Ash gazed up at the stars, trying to make out different patterns they made.

"Ash, lets go walk along the shore," Dawn said out of nowhere and sitting up.

"You sure you just don't want to lay here...?" Dawn smiled and shook her head. Ash let Dawn pull him up.

Dawn slipped off her flip-flops and Ash took of his shoes. They put them by the blanket and headed for the shore for a nice, romantic walk. Now that Ash thought about, he had one last surprise for her and it would be better seen if they were walking along the shore.

Ash took her hand and entwined their fingers. They started walking along the beach, the water washing over there feet as it when up to shore and back over there feet and it retreated back in the ocean, leaving wet sand between their toes. Dawn loved this feeling, but Ash didn't. He thought it was uncomfortable, so whenever he complained about it she just laughed at him.

Dawn walked in closer to Ash and hugged his arm.

"So..." Dawn said. "Guess what's coming up in a couple of weeks."

Ash smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "May's birthday?"

"Ash~" Dawn said in a warning tone.

The raven-haired boy looked at her, smiled and said "What?"

"How could you forget?" Dawn snapped.

"Forget what?" Ash gave her a cute, toothy smile making her puff her cheeks out in anger.

"Just forget it," Dawn said. "You already did anyway..." She let go of his arm and walked away from him.

Ash laughed, grabbed her by her wrist and brought her back to him. "I'm just playing...I would never forget our anniversary. Actually, I already have everything planned out. I made a reservation at the restaurant yesterday along with a few other reservations. I'm going to make that night the best night of your life." Ash smiled and titled her head up with his finger and kissed her.

Dawn pulled away from the kissed and said, "That's going to be kind of hard, Ash. I think this night was the best night of my life."

"Not for long," he said and kissed her again. Ash broke the kiss and they started walking again. He put his arm around her and brought her body close to him. "So Dawn, plan on going to prom this year?" he asked in a sly tone.

Dawn smiled and thought about it. "Of course...I just need someone to go with," she teased him. "But I can find the perfect guy to take me in time enough for the prom. I have plenty of time since it's still months away. Are you going?" She smiled.

"Of course...and you're going with me."

"Hmm...what makes you so sure of that?" Dawn said, messing with him.

"Because I'm your boyfriend and the only one allowed to take you."

"Maybe..." Dawn said in a sing song voice and she started to slowly walk away from Ash with a playful smile on her face.

"Dawn~"

The bluenette turned around and laughed. "Just kidding, Ash. You're the only one I'll be dancing with all night long." Dawn went into a dazed state as she imagined her in a beautiful dress dancing on the dance floor with Ash to a slow, romantic song.

"I don't know how to dance," Ash said sheepishly, snapping Dawn out of her dazed state.

"Really?" Ash smiled and nodded his head. Then Dawn got a smirk on her face and walked towards him. "I can teach you."

"When? I'll need all the dance lessons I can get."

Dawn giggled. "Now," she said.

Ash had a confused look on his face. "But...there's no music. How are we goin-" Dawn smiled and put a finger to his lips, shushing him.

"You don't need music..."

"But-"

Dawn cut him off by saying, "Take my hand." She held out her hand and Ash smiled and held it. "Now, hold me close." Ash did as told and pulled her closer to him. "And take one step." Dawn took a step backward and in response, Ash took a step forward while he looked down at their feet. She put her finger under his chin and said, "Keep your eyes locked on mine." Dawn trailed her hand up his face and into his hair and then down his back and to his hand and placed it on her waist. Dawn placed her hand on his shoulder and took another step back, making him take a step forward. "And let the music be your guide." She smiled and continued to take steps.

"But we have no music," Ash said. Dawn took a step forward this time and he took one back.

"Trust me...we do." Ash took a step back and Dawn took one forward, their eyes never leaving each other's.

Dawn smiled and said, "Leading already? Seems you caught on quick...for someone who says they can't dance."

"Okay, maybe I can dance a little." Ash lifted his hand in the air and spun her around. He could feel the warmth emanating from her body as he brought her body back to his. Ash took another step with hers following him. Their steps matched to a rhythm that only they could hear.

Ash took a step forward and lifted her into the air, spinning her around and placed her back on the ground.

Dawn laughed. "You're a natural, Ash."

Ash extended his arm, twirling Dawn away from him and then he brought her back to him and the two began to encircle each other.

"Thank you," Ash said and again, picked her up and spun her in the air and brought her back down to him. They stopped dancing. His brown eyes met her sparkling blue ones. Dawn smiled and looked at him with innocence in her eyes, again. He couldn't help himself. Ash moved in to kiss her. Their lips brushed against each other for a brief moment before she turned her head making his lips kiss her cheek.

Dawn, still holding onto his hand, spun herself around him and got on his back. He let go of her hand and caught her legs as they wrapped around him. Dawn wrapped her arms around him towards the front so she wouldn't fall.

"Fell for it again, Ash?" Dawn whispered in his ear. Her breath tickled his ear, sending pleasure chills down his spine.

He smirked and ignored her question by asking her a question. "Where'd you learn to dance like that?"

The bluenette smiled. She knew she had him just a moment ago, that was why he didn't answer. She loved having that affect on him. "When I lived in Sinnoh, I did dance in elementary and half of middle school."

"You're not doing it anymore?"

"Obviously not."

Ash ignored her smart comment and asked, "Why'd you stop? I bet you were amazing when you did it and I bet you'd be even better now."

"I was good. I was the best in the whole studio. I never lost in my age division. Actually, I only lost two times in my dance career. But as I got older dancing started to lose its affect. It was taking up too much of my time. So in the middle of seventh grade I gave it up."

"You should have stuck to it. What kind of dance did you do?"

"Have you ever seen that show Dance Moms?"

"Yeah, my mom watches it all the time. It's that show about that fat lady who's always yelling at the little girls, making them cry and the moms are always bitching at each other about who's daughter is better than who?"

"Yeah, that show. You seem to know a lot about it, huh?"

"Yeah. It's a good show. When the fat lady fusses out the one of the moms, it's funny."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "That's probably the only reason why you watch it. Because of the drama. But anyways, I did dances like them. Except I never did the acro dances. I always did Lyrical or Jazz. But mainly Lyrical because my mom didn't really like me doing Jazz dances because of certain moves my dance teacher had me doing. She thought they were too sexy and provocative for my age. But my thing is that when I danced, I wasn't thinking about being sexy or anything. I was just doing the dance, having fun. But it's whatever. It's over now."

"I think I can agree with your mom. I've seen some of the dances and costumes they had on Dance Moms and they were a bit too much for their age."

"But they're not thinking about that when they're on stage dancing."

"Whatever you say, Dawn." After he said this, a silence lingered over them as Ash walked along the shore with Dawn on his back before something just occurred to him. "No wonder you're so flexible. All that dance stuff requires a lot of splits, kicks, and jumps. Hm...dance really paid off for the both of us." He said seductively.

Dawn blushed and said, "Ash, you're starting to become a little pervert like Gary. I think he's rubbing off on you."

Ash laughed. "No~ you're just driving me to that point tonight."

"But you just did the last one on your own. That, I had nothing to do with."

"I was just stating a fact," Ash said while chuckling. Ash pushed Dawn up on his back more and said, "I love that you're so light. I could carry you all day."

"Don't forget you said that because one day, I just might have you do that."

"I will make sure I forget," he teased.

"Whatever you say, Ash," Dawn said, mimicking what he said to her a few minutes ago.

They were in silence again. But they didn't mind. The silence wasn't weird nor awkward. It was loving and calming. The sounds of the waves, chirps of Zubat soaring above them in the sky, the moon and star's light and the warm breeze rushing through their hair made the silence much more welcoming.

Until Dawn decided to be devious again.

An evil smile grew on her face as a little plan formed in her head.

She bent her head down so she was close to Ash's neck. She kissed his neck softly in a particular spot. She started to gently nibble on the spot and run her fingers across his chest.

Ash stopped walking.

Dawn smiled. Her planned worked.

"It's stuff like this that I was talking about," he said as Dawn continued to nibble on his neck.

Dawn stopped and said, "I'm just having _innocent_ fun, Ash," Dawn said in her sweetest voice.

"Innocent might turn into something else," Ash said. He turned his head so he could capture her lips in his. Dawn leaned her head over so she could have more access of Ash's lips.

Ash took no time to make the first move. He licked Dawn's bottom lips for access and she obliged by parting her lips and letting his tongue slide into her mouth. She made Ash's tongue chase hers around until he caught it.

Ash's fingers rubbed the back of Dawn's thighs where he was holding her. It was taking all of his willpower to not lay her down on the sand...

But he wasn't giving in to Dawn. He knew she was playing with him and he couldn't let her win.

Dawn softly bit Ash's lip and moaned into the kiss. His warm fingers moving across her thighs felt good and she didn't want him to stop.

Startled, they jumped and broke the kiss when a sound came from far away.

Ash smiled. He knew what it was. It was his last surprise for her.

They heard the sound again and then something flew up in the sky over the vast ocean. "Look," Ash whispered. Dawn did as she was told and looked in the dark sky.

A firework left a trail of smoke as it launched in the sky. It exploded in a red heart. The heart grew and grew until its light faded.

More fireworks were launched into the sky. It exploded in bright golden sparks, and then came another red heart. Dawn was stunned by the sight. The firework's lights shone on her face until they faded away.

More fireworks launched in the sky and three explosions layered on top of one another, gold, blue, pink. Then still another red heard exploded, growing and growing before it faded.

"Ash...this is beautiful!" Dawn said, watching as more fireworks exploded into many colors and another explosion into a heart.

"It's all for you," Ash said.

Dawn hopped off his back and walked around him so she was facing him. She slipped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He obliged by snaking his arms around her waist and looking into her eyes.

She wasted no time in leaning in and kissing his lips softly. Both her hands slipped into his hair, playing with his messy locks as they kissed with passion.

The beautiful fireworks continued to go off behind them, adding more romance and passion to the kiss they were both lost in.

Dawn finally pulled away, looked deeply into his eyes and said, "Definitely the best night of my life."

Before Ash could say anything, she took his lips in hers again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Voila. Chapter complete :) Just in time for Valentine's Day, huh? ;) And I didn't even do that on purpose xD. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this long chapter that took me all week to write. I enjoyed writing this a lot ^_^ especially the whol enitre beach part. And btw when they started dancing, Dawn was saying the lyrics from a song called 'Can I have this dance' from high school musical xD I had to watch the scene from high school musical with that song so I could get the dancing scene. :) <strong>  
><strong>And Dance Moms is a real show for those who don't know. It's a good show :the moms are crazy and constantly aruging about their daughters and the dance instructor is just insane o_O and the girls are so cute ^_^ and they can dance really good! If you're interested in seeing some of their dances, go to youtube and type in Dance moms and their peformances should come up. They all dance so beautiful ^_^ now I want to dance xD<strong>

**Anyways, back to the story: Did everyone understand what Ash was saying when he was telling Gary and Drew about his 'Perfect Relationship'? If not, then you can PM me or something and I can explain it if you don't understand his con**cept. But it might take a while for me to respond because Fanfiction isn't letting me sign in from my phone or my own computer -_- I don't know why...It just says 'you do not have a secure internet connection' so all I can do is wait.****

**Well...that's all for now :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wrote it just for you all ^_^**

**Please review **

**-Angel ^_***


	10. A Birthday! And a True Friendship?

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone :D So I didn't intend to make this update wait so long /: I could've had it up like two weeks ago, but you know..procrastinating /: But at least it's here now :D And before you start reading, there's a few things I need to tell you that I forgot to say last chapter xD 1) I know Leaf was never in the story :p but I meant to tell you last chapter to disregard Giselle and pretend that it was Leaf the whole time. 2) My very bad attemtps to be funny are in this chapter -.- I know they're bad so don't say anything :p and trust me, you'll know when those attemtps come up! 3) If you see or notice any missing " or any missing punctuation (mistakes as well) then ignore it. A lot of it got deleted somehow /: but I got most of it, I'm going to go back over it a few times when I have time so ignore it because I know about it. 4) You may read now :D enjoy!**

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><p>"Okay, so tell us exactly what happened Saturday!" Leaf said excitedly when she walked up to Dawn at her locker - with May behind her. The girl had been dying to know what happened on Dawn and Ash's date.<p>

The bluenette closed her locker before leaning back on it, clutching her books to her chest and looking dazed. "It was so amazing, guys. We had so~ much fun! Especially on the beach. If I could relive that night, I'd do it over and over and over again."

"Awe~" Leaf squealed. "He took you to the beach?"

"Yup, for their date. And before that they went Rapidash-back-riding," May added in a boring tone while grabbing a notebook from her locker shelf.

"Really? You guys went Rapidash-back-riding? I wish Gary would take me," Leaf said, slightly rolling her eyes.

Dawn smiled. "I'll have to tell you about it later. I won't be able to squeeze everything in, in five minutes." After the bluenette said this, Leaf's face fell indicating she was disappointed. However, May simply shrugged and walked into the classroom, leaving Dawn and Leaf to look at her weird.

"What's her problem?" the brunette asked, turning back to face Dawn.

Dawn shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know...like I told you before, she's been acting different towards me lately. And honestly, I don't care anymore."

"I've noticed..." Leaf mumbled to herself. "But you can't just not care, Dawn. She's your best friend. You two have been best friends for like two years."

Dawn slowly nodded her head. "Yeah...but its whatever."

"You could talk to her and ask her why she's been acting like this towards you."

"Na, I'd rather not. If she doesn't want to be my friend anymore, then I won't force her."

"You can't say she's not your friend, Dawn. She did come to your house before your date to help you get ready. I don't think someone who's not a friend would do that." Leaf smirked at her assumption.

"I asked her if she could help me get ready. She didn't invite herself if that's what you thought. Of course, she said yes but I could tell by her voice that she didn't really want to. But by the time she got to my house and started finding something for me to wear, she seemed okay then...but you know, May likes putting together outfits and stuff."

The brunette thought for a moment before saying something, trying to think of an excuse for May's behavior. "Maybe she's just going through something...?"

Dawn rolled her eyes and shook her head. "If that was the case then she would be treating everyone like this. Besides, don't you think she would have told us if there was something going on?"

"Guess you're right...But there is a reason why she's acting like this towards you."

"Why who's acting like what towards who?" A familiar voice said from behind them.

Dawn turned around and smiled seeing Kai standing in front of her with a big smile on his face. "Kai," Dawn said as if she couldn't stand him and was only acknowledging him because he was gracing her with his presence.

"Dawn," he said, the same way as she said his name. Leaf just eyed them curiously, as they stared each other down.

Then all of sudden - at the same time - they began doing a secret handshake they made up in class Friday. It started with the basic handshake then upside down, with a twist, a high five, then a low five, pinky swear and ended with their elbows touching.

When they finished, they started laughing.

While having a substitute in their class Friday, Kai and Dawn decided to make up a secret handshake that they'd do whenever they see each other. Or they'd do it to greet each other. Both of them have been secretly dying to do it for the first time.

"We are so crazy for doing that," Dawn said after her laughter subsided.

"Maybe...but it'll be our little thing," Kai said, smiling. He was unaware of how that sounded to Dawn - it made her blush just a little bit.

_"So_ _much for laying off," _Leaf whispered playfully in Dawn's ear, making Dawn's blush deepen. The brunette smirked and looked at Kai. "Hey, Kai."

"Hey, Leaf. I'm sure you had fun with Gary Saturday..." Kai had a smirk on his face, which made Leaf frown.

"What perverted things did he say?"

"Oh, nothing! He just said you two had fun...and that he creamed you four times in bowling."

The brunette's mouth dropped open and she crossed her arms. "It was three! I beat him in the last game!"

"Barely," Kai added.

"You know what, whatever. Dawn we'll finish our conversation later." With that said, the brunette turned on her heels and walked away.

"Anger problems or what?" Kai said, putting in the combination to his locker.

"Only when it comes to Gary," Dawn said. "Now hurry up before we're late to class."

Kai smiled and closed his locker. "I'm done." The brown-eyed boy began looking around. "By the way, where's May? Usually she's out here with you..."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Don't get me started on that."

"Bad thing?"

The bluenette nodded her head and walked in the classroom with Kai behind her. They found their seats next to May and sat down. There was an awkward silence between them other than May tapping her pencil on her desk. Kai was about to say something but the teacher walked in and closed the door and began his lesson for the day.

Throughout the class, whenever Dawn or Kai attempted to talk to May, she would just brush them off - mainly Dawn. She seemed somewhat distant.

In their second class, May was the same way. It wasn't until after the second block that Dawn finally said something.

Dawn grabbed May's arm and pulled her to the side away from the large sea of students. "May, what's up with you today?"

"What are you talking about? I'm fine."

Dawn looked at May and released her arm. "No you're not. You barely talked when Kai or I tried to make conversation with you. You kept brushing me off as if you hate me or something. So what gives?"

"Trust me. Nothing's wrong with me. Something's just on my mind. Kay?" May then gave Dawn a false smile. "So excuse me, I have a class to go to." May lightly pushed Dawn out of her way and walked away from the bluenette.

Dawn watched her go - with her mouth wide open.

She just couldn't understand why May, 'her friend,' was treating her this way. May had never been like this towards her before. Not even when they got into little disagreements.

Ever since Dawn and Ash got back on good terms...May has been like this. Dawn would've thought her 'friend' would be happy for her, being that May was pestering her about being all over Kai - but she wasn't. At least she didn't seem like she was. Dawn got herself together with Kai and fixed things with Ash.

That is what May wanted, right? For Dawn to leave Kai alone and be with Ash. But if that's what she wanted...then why isn't she happy for Dawn?

Dawn crossed her arms and headed to her art class with the situation with May on her mind.

Dawn couldn't really focus on her painting in art class. She would paint a little and put her head down, thinking about May. There was something definitely going on with that girl.

The art teacher finally noticed Dawn's pattern of painting and putting her head down and walked over to her. "Ms. Berlitz, you do know this painting is to be done by Friday, yes?"

The bluenette snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her half finished picture of Ash. "I know," Dawn sighed.

"Alright, well I'm just making sure you know that. I see that you're over here taking little breaks. And from the looks of it," the art teacher glanced at Dawn's artwork and back at her. "You can't afford to put your head down."

"I know, I kno- Hey, can I stay back tomorrow?" the bluenette asked suddenly, getting an idea. "I can work on my painting if I stay back tomorrow. I have a lot of work to do on it," Dawn said smiling at her picture.

Mr. Green looked at her curiously. He could tell by her face expression that she had something planned in her head. "Yeah...sure. Just come back here tomorrow after school is over. I'll be here until five. Will that be enough time?"

"Perfect," Dawn said, tapping the table with her fingers and smiling - making plans with her picture in her head.

For the rest of the period, Dawn spent the time sketching on a piece of white construction paper. All thoughts of May were washed away from her mind.

The school bell finally rung and Dawn placed her sketched drawing in her drawing folder and she headed out the door and headed towards the lunchroom.

The bluenette wasn t very hungry, so she went straight to the usual table where her and her friends sat during lunch.

May, Drew, Leaf, and Gary were already at the table. May was sitting next to Drew on his right while Gary was next to Drew on his left, with Leaf on his lap. Dawn sat across from them.

Hey guys, she greeted as she pulled her chair out and sat down. She didn't even give them a chance to say anything before she said, "You know Kai's birthday is Friday, right?"

"Duh," Gary said with a smirk on his face. Leaf and Dawn simply ignored him.

"He told us last week," Drew added, backing up Gary's Duh.

"Well, I didn't know," Leaf said.

"Me either," May said, looking at Dawn for a brief moment. "When did you find this out?"

Dawn wanted to tell May that if she would have been talking to them in class, she would've known. Instead, Dawn just said, "In second block. He told me while we were talking."

"Oh well, why are you telling us anyway?"

"Because I was thinking we could do something for him on his birthday," Dawn explained.

"Sorry, but Kai already has plans," Gary said.

"Really? With who?"

"With the boys. We're taking him out for his birthday."

"The boys as an you, Drew, and Ash?" May asked. The brunette smiled and nodded his head.

"And where are you four going?" Leaf asked.

"Everybody be quiet. Ash and Kai are coming," Drew said when he noticed the two brown-eyed boys walking to the table with their trays in their hand.

"We'll finish this conversation later," the bluenette said as soon as Ash and Kai arrived at the table. Ash sat on the right side of Dawn and Kai sat on the left.

"Yup, at Ash's house," Gary said, smiling while Ash looked at him like he had grown two heads.

"At my house what?" Ash asked.

"Everybody at this table except Kai, go to Ash's house after school," Drew stated with a smirk on his face.

"Wait, no! Why are we going to my house after school?"

"And why am I not invited?" Kai asked, feeling somewhat left out.

"Because we have something important to discuss," Leaf said, looking at Ash and Kai. She was trying to tell Ash with her eyes that what they had to discuss was about Kai.

"Is it about my awesome birthday Friday?" Kai asked, smirking at the group. Dawn nudged him with her elbow and giggled.

"Ugh, you sounded exactly like Drew when you said that," the bluenette said while she playfully glared at the chartreuse-haired boy.

Drew flipped his hair and said, "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is in this case," May retorted.

"Yeah, we don't need two Drew's," Leaf said. "One is enough."

Drew gasped and put his hand over his heart in a dramatic way, pretending to be hurt. "What are you saying?" The girls laughed at Drew and shook their heads.

"They're saying, they can't stand you," Ash said, grinning at his green-haired friend.

"Oh really?" Drew said, glancing at the three girls. "Well in that case, I hate all three of you."

"You love me though," May stated with a sweet smile on her face while she looked at her boyfriend.

Drew looked at her from the corner of his eyes with a straight face, not saying anything causing the group to laugh. Drew could see May starting to get angry, from the corner of his eye.

"I'm just playing May," Drew said while wrapping his arms around her. "You know I love you."

"Yeah~ anyways," Gary said, facing Ash again. "We're coming to your house after school."

"Whatever. Why can't we go to your house?"

"Because I said we're all going to your house, Ashy Boy." Dawn laughed at Ash's nickname.

"Awe~ look, Ashy Boy is blushing," Dawn teased while she pinched his cheek like a baby.

"Don't call me that~" Ash whined as he moved away from Dawn so she couldn't pinch his flushed cheeks.

"Hey, Ash," Leaf called with a small smirk on her face. "You have something on your n-"

"Don't tell him!" All three boys said at the same time, startling Leaf. Leaf gave all three boys a weird look and rolled her eyes.

"Tell me what? I have something on my face?" Ash asked, frantically moving his hands across his face.

"Oh~" May started to smile. "I see it. Ash there's nothing on your face."

"Then where is it? My arms?" Ash started to look at his arms.

"Not your arms either," Kai said, shaking his head and smiling as he watched the boy move his hands up to his neck.

"My neck?"

No one at the table said anything.

"Oh, ha, ha!" Ash said, sarcastically as he looked at his friends. "There's nothing on me."

The bell rung, meaning that lunchtime was over and the group started to get up from the table.

"Right," Gary said, smirking.

"Seriously?" Ash said, putting his hand on his face once again. "Is there something on me?"

"You're good," Drew said with a smirk on his face before he walked away from the table.

Ash turned to face his girlfriend. He didn't trust Gary and Drew's words. "Do I have something on my face or my neck?"

Dawn scanned Ash's face. She was lost on the joke too. She saw nothing wrong with him. Her eyes went down to his neck and her mouth dropped open, but she quickly closed it and held back her laughter.

_'Oops,'_ she thought to herself. "You're fine Ash," Dawn said before she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you later Ash." The bluenette walked away before Ash could stop her.

The raven-haired boy shrugged his shoulders. If Dawn said he was fine, then he must be. He turned around and went to his last class for the day.

**x-x-x**

"I still don't understand why we had to meet at my house," Ash grumbled as he unlocked the front door with his house keys.

"Because I said so," Gary responded.

Ash opened the door and all three boys walked in the house. A sweet aroma was filling the air and the boys followed the smell to the kitchen where Delia was baking.

The kitchen was filled with all kinds of treats. Cakes, cupcakes, brownies, homemade rice crispy treats, cr me-filled pastries, and cookies filled the counters around the kitchen.

The brown haired woman turned around with a platter of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies in her hands and smiled at the three boys as she set them down on the counter.

"Mom," Ash said, his eyes scanning the treat-filled counters and his mouth watering. "What's all of this?"

Drew was about to grab a rice crispy treat when Delia smacked his hand with a fly swatter. The green-haired boy quickly drew back his hand and smiled sheepishly while Delia glared at him. "Me and a few other people are having bake sell at the adult carnival tonight," the woman explained.

"Adult carnival?" Gary asked with a smirk. In his mind, he was thinking dirty things.

"Gary," Mrs. Ketchum said in a warning tone. She was full aware of Gary's 'immature thoughts' as she liked to call them. And in this case, it wasn't like that. "This carnival is for adults only. Meaning," she emphasized the word meaning while looking at Gary. He smirked and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "Kids and teenagers cannot come. The adult carnival is for adult couples and friends only. It's a _regular" she_ emphasized the word regular while looking at Gary again. "Carnival with rides, games, and food. It's just so the adults can enjoy a night out without their kids. A time for adults to enjoy themselves," Delia finished while smiling.

"Oh~" all three boys said in unison, nodding their heads slowly - pretending like they actually listened to Mrs. Ketchum ramble on about the carnival.

"...Yeah. I should be leaving in a few minutes. I have to get everything set up." Delia turned off the stove and opened a cabinet and grabbed clear plastic wrap to cover the sweets she baked.

Drew and Gary made their way over to Ash's living room and sat on the couch.

"Soo~" Ash said, starting a new conversation with his mom. "The girls are coming over for a little while today."

"Alright, that's fine Ash," Delia said quickly without looking up at Ash - as she placed cookies into cute little pink baskets. Ash wasn t sure if that was really what she meant, or if she just said that to get him out of her way while she continued to hurriedly pack up the food.

"Okay..."

"What time are they coming over?" the brown-haired woman asked.

She must have really heard him.

Delia stopped what she was doing and looked up at her son.

"They should be here in a little bit."

"Alright, that's fine- ASH WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR NECK?" Delia hollered in surprise in seeing a little red mark on her son's neck. Drew and Gary instantly started laughing quietly on the couch. They were waiting for this moment to happen.

Ash looked at his mom with a confused expression on his face. He moved his right hand around his neck, feeling for anything out of the ordinary. "What are you talking about? There's nothing on my neck," the raven-haired boy said as he continued to feel around his neck for anything other than his skin. But he couldn't feel anything...

"Ash Ketchum!" his mother yelled. "Don't play dumb with me! I have told you a million times before-"

Drew and Gary turned around the couch, on their knees, facing Ash and his mother. "Gary, record this," Drew whispered in between his laughing. The brown-haired boy took out his phone and began recording immediately. This was something they weren't going to forget...ever.

"Oh man, this is blackmail stuff right here," Gary said trying to hold his laughter while Ash continued to get fussed out. "He doesn't even have a clue what she's talking about."

"Mom! What are you talking about?"

"Ash! How many times have I told you...Keep the horse in the barn!"

"Horse in the barn?" Ash repeated. He knew what his mom was getting at - but she was jumping to conclusions and he didn't even know why.

His cheeks turned red. He knew Drew and Gary were on the couch, eating this right up.

Drew put a pillow on his head to quiet down his laughter. "She said horse in the barn!" Drew said, taking the pillow off his head. He was laughing so hard he head tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Gary tried to keep his phone still, but it was hard because he was laughing so hard. "Hey Drew, it should be more like keep the pony in the barn," Gary joked. This made Drew laugh even more. He placed the pillow back over his head and laughed into the pillow.

"What were you thinking? Do you not know that things happen? Things break, things slip off, and things have holes in them!" Delia put her hands on her hips.

"What things?" Ash asked, being in a dense state at the moment. He had no clue what she was talking about. There was nothing on his neck. He didn't feel anything so what was she going on about?

"ASH!" The brown haired woman lost it. "YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR TH-"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Ash shouted at his mother, finally getting angry. Delia took a step back in surprise then took two steps forward, getting closer to him, her eyes in slits. Ash gulped - he didn't mean to yell her at her like that.

"Oh shit..." Drew said with a straight face.

"He did it now," the brown-haired boy stated.

"Make sure you record this!"

"I'm getting it!"

"Ash," Delia said calmly. "You. Have. A HICKEY ON YOUR NECK!" Ash still looked at her confused and touched his neck again. Delia, fed up with her son's stupidity, took a small handheld mirror out from her back pocket, and gave it to him.

Ash looked at his neck in the mirror and his eyes widened and he suddenly covered the small red spot. Now he got it...

This must have been what Leaf saw earlier today. And what his friends were talking about, telling him he didn't have anything on him. Ash made a mental note to say something about this later...especially Dawn.

This is what his mom was fussing at him for. This is what Dawn gave him at the beach...and now he finally caught on to his mom's conversation.

She thought Ash had sex with Dawn...

"I can explain!" Ash said quickly. He heard snickers coming from Gary and Drew and he scowled, turning his head at them for a second and looked back at his mom who had a furious expression on her face.

"You better start explaining, young man! You know I don't tolerate this! Were you at least careful, Ash? Did you check the condom for holes?"

Ash's eyes went wide and his face turned even redder. This couldn't get any more embarrasing. "Woah! We did not have sex, mom! Just 'cause I have a hickey on my neck, doesn't mean we did it," Ash explained.

"That's what leads to it! If you didn't have sex than why is this on your neck?" She gestured to Dawn's mark on his neck.

Ash was lost for words right now. No, he didn't do it with his girlfriend...but he couldn't tell his mom that Dawn and him were playing the 'seduce and leave them hanging' game. What would he say? _"Mom, Dawn and I were just seeing if we can seduce each other and fall for it." _No, because the reaction wouldn't be pretty. It would only lead to more questions.

Instead Ash said, "We were just kissing and maybe it intensified a little bit."

"How little are we talking?"

"Mom, all she did was suck on my neck...I didn't even know she was doing it." Okay, so it was kind of a lie. But also the truth. He knew Dawn was on his neck, but he didn't know she did that. He was too lost in the pleasure to really realize it.

"Mhm," Delia said. She didn't believe him one bit. "Did you put a hickey on her neck?"

"NO! I know her mom would kill her if she saw one!" Ash had put plenty on her before because she was always able to hide it with her head or clothes. But of course, he wouldn't bring that up.

"So if her mom didn't freak out, would you put one on her neck?" Delia squinted her eyes at him as she asked the question.

"Yes - I mean, no - I mean," Ash stopped talking and took a deep breath.

"He doesn't know what to say!" Gary said, laughing. Ash put his hand behind his back and gave both his friends the finger.

"Why are you even freaking out over this? She's my GIRLFRIEND!" Ash said, emphasizing the word girlfriend. You don't expect us not to do anything, do you?"

"Yes! I told you to wait until marriage!"

"No you didn't! You said as long as I use protection and are extra careful, it was okay!"

Delia's face fell. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"Uh oh," Drew smiled. "Here comes the lovey-dovey mother part." Him and the brunette snickered. "Make sure you get this."

"Drew, I'm getting everything! Shutup!," the brown-haired boy replied, starting to get annoyed at his friend.

"Okay, I did say that...but Ash, you're still my baby boy." Ash's face went pale. Gary and Drew would never let him live this down. "And I don't want you to grow up...and when you do that, it means you're growing up..."

"Uh...okay?" The boy's face held a blank expression.

"I'm sorry, Ash. I just have to except the fact that you're growing up and won't be my little Ashy anymore."

"Little Ashy," Drew repeated. Gary began chuckling along with Drew.

"Mom~" Ash groaned, trying to give her the signal to stop embarrassing him.

Delia wrapped her arms around Ash and brought him in for a hug. At this moment, Ash wished a hole could form right where he was standing and swallow him up to save him from this embarrasment.

"Mom, you can let go now..."

The woman ignored her son and continued to hug him while saying, "Oh, Ash, you'll always be my little boy. No matter what you do. I just hate to see you grow up." Delia continued to hug her son in a long embrace while Gary and Drew snickered from the living room and Ash red-faced begging for someone to kill him now.

He hated when his mom did this - especially in front of his friends.

"Uuh mom?" Ash finally said. "Don't you have to leave now?"

The brown-haired woman quickly remembered her task and let go off Ash, much to his appreciation. Delia went back to packing up the homemade deserts and packing them away in her car. She turned down the boys' helps so they headed upstairs to Ash's room.

Ash shut his door and hopped on his bed while Drew sat in chair and Gary sat on the floor with his back to the wall. They were sitting in silence waiting for their girlfriends to arrive until Gary pulled out his phone and started watching the video he recorded causing Drew to burst out laughing and Ash to glare at him and throw one of his pillows at the brunette-haired boy.

"Why did you record that?" Ash asked, glaring at Gary.

"Because it was funny and Drew told me to do it," Gary replied with a smirk on his face.

"Hey! Don't put this on me," the green-haired boy said to Gary. "You're the one that said 'this is blackmail stuff right here'" Drew imitated his friend in a high-pitched voice.

"I don't sound like that!"

"That's how you sounded to me," Drew said with a taunting smile on his face. Gary hated when Drew did that smile.

The raven-haired boy just watched his friends go back in fourth while slowly shaking his head.

"Hey, Ash..." Gary said with a smirk on his face while he looked at Drew. "Drew said you have a small-"

"We're here~" a girly called as the owner of the voice walked in Ash's room with two other girls behind her. The brunette-haired girl walked over to her boyfriend. "Why are you sitting on the floor?"

"Because Drew's in the chair and Ash's on the bed. Join me?" Gary asked with a smirk on his face and holding out his hand. Leaf smirked and playfully hit his hand away.

"No thank you," Leaf said before turning away from her boyfriend and walking over to Drew. She shoved the green-haired boy out the chair - earning a glare from the boy - and sat in the chair with a smile on her face. "This is much better. Thanks Drew."

The chautrese-haired boy mumbled something under his breath and flipped his hair before he sat on Ash's bed. Dawn rolled her eyes and laughed as she walked to Ash and sat in Ash's lap and began talking to him. May walked over to her now pouting boyfriend and laughed at him before sitting in his lap as well.

"Ash, your mom told me to tell you that she won't be home until late tonight," May informed the raven-haired boy who just nodded his head and turned his attention back to Dawn.

"So~" Leaf began. "Why exactly are we here? I have to be home in an hour."

"Yeah~ I have to be home soon too," Dawn added.

"Me too...I have a lot of homework," May said.

"Okay..." Ash said. "well we need to figure out what we're doing for Kai's birthday aparently..." The raven-haired boy trailed off his sentence and glanced around the room, at his friends waiting for someone to throw some ideas out there.

"I have come up with a great idea of what we could do for Kai's birthday," Gary spoke up with a smirk on his face that looked a little mischievous.

"What?" Leaf asked while she eyed her boyfriend.

"Us boys" Gary motioned to himself, Ash and Drew. "Take Kai out while you girls" He then gestured to Dawn, Leaf, and May. "Stay at home or something. It'll be one of our guys' night out except with a special occasion; Kai's birthday. Good plan, huh?" Gary smirked while the girls glared at him.

"No! That's not fair!" May said, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"How is it not fair?"

"Because I think as friends we should all" May gestured to everyone in the room. "Do something together. Like throw him a surprise party or something. It shouldn't be broken off into just boys. Why should you guys have all the fun and we don't?"

"I think it's fair," Drew said simply while he flipped his hair.

"What? How?" Dawn asked while glaring at the boy.

"Who's he closer with? You girls? Or us boys?" Drew asked.

"Dawn," May mumbled to herself and rolled her eyes.

Dawn looked at her. She was sure she wasn't supposed to hear it...but she did. And she wasn't quite sure if that was bad or good. However, by the sound of her voice, it seemed like it was supposed to be bad. "What was that, May?" The brunette looked at Dawn with confusion clear on her face. "You say something?"

May shook her head. "Oh, no." May smiled and looked away from the bluenette. "Nothing at all."

Dawn nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and turned her head while rolling her eyes. "Okay, well just making sure. If you do say something, make sure to speak up and not mumble." Dawn said this with a bit more harshness in her voice.

Leaf looked at the two girls and slightly shook her head, hoping the two wouldn't start arguing. She knew the two girls were still friends...but not as good of friends like before. May and Dawn both told her something between them wasn't the same anymore. She knew it was true, but didn't really want to believe it.

However, lately, Leaf has noticed that Dawn and May have been acting 'different' towards each other. May was always saying slick stuff and Dawn would hear it. And that either resulted in an argument or May brushing it off claiming she didn't say anything. Usually the things May said would retain to Ash or Kai. And not in a good way.

Maybe it was May who was making their friendship slowly fade. Leaf had a small hunch on why May was acting like this towards Dawn...

"Is everything okay between you two?" Ash whispered in Dawn's ear when he saw her fingers tapping his bed. He knew she only did this when she was either annoyed or mad...or getting mad.

Dawn quickly stopped drumming her fingers. "Yeah," she whispered. "We're fine."

Ash didn't press on any further. He didn't know if he believed her or not. He knew that, that wasn't normal behavior for the two girls...but then again what did he know. It could be just one of their 'moments' and he was sure they'd get over it. Therefore, he didn't ask any more questions. Plus, if something were going on between them, Dawn would tell him.

Wouldn't she?

Drew and Gary simply disregarded the small incident, not thinking anything of it. They continued their conversation.

"Kai's closer with us," the brown-haired boy said. "Therefore, we spend time with him. Plus, I don't think he'll want to be around you girls on his birthday."

"Uh...what is that supposed to mean?" Leaf asked.

"I didn't mean it like that. I mean he might want to be with other girls...that he can...you know."

"Whatever. Now you boys definitely aren't going to be with him on his birthday. If you have girls, I doubt it'll be only some for him."

"What are you saying? That we'll cheat?" Drew asked, getting quite upset at Leaf's statement.

"We don't cheat!" Ash said.

"Did I even say that you cheat?" Leaf asked with an innocent smile on her face. "Guilty ones always get defensive..."

"That's not true. And you didn't say it, but you were thinking it."

"How do you know, Ash?"

"Because it was clear that you were thinking it," Gary said.

"Not really," the bluenette spoke. "When she said it I wasn't thinking of cheating."

"See." Leaf grinned at the boys.

"Of course she's going to take up for you!" Drew said. "She's a girl and you're a girl. Girls take up for each other!"

"Just like boys take up for each other."

"It seems like every time we all get together its boys versus girls." May said, giggling.

"That's because you girls always start it." Ash mumbled to himself, but since Dawn was sitting on his lap, she heard him.

"How do we start it?"

"How about I rephrase that? Leaf starts it."

"How do I start it?" Leaf asked.

"Your smart comments start it and Dawn and May take up for you which causes Drew, Ash, and me to go against you," the auburn-haired boy said.

"Not true," May said. "You guys start with us too. Leaf just speaks her mind. You three" - she gestured to Ash, Gary, and Drew - "on the other hand start with us just to get on our nerves."

"And it always works," Drew said with a goofy grin on his face.

"Okay guys, we need to get back on subject. What are we doing for Kai's birthday?" Dawn said.

"I already said that we're - as an boys - are doing something with Kai," Gary replied. Dawn just rolled her eyes at the boy as he smirked at her.

"And I said you're not," Leaf said before she stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend, making him wink at her. "Ugh! Not like that Gary!"

"Right~ that's what you always say."

"Not the time and definitely not the place," Ash said, catching onto their - what he thought to be - 'insider conversation.'

"Anyways~ how about we all go to dinner...?" May suggested.

"Or how about we - boys - go to dinner with Kai then to a party," Ash said with slyness in his voice.

"Know what?" Leaf spoke up, getting annoyed at the boys. It was clear to her that they were set on having one of their 'boys night out' for Kai's birthday. "You boys can do something with him Friday night and me, Dawn, and May will do our own thing. You three won't be the only ones having fun." Leaf smiled and winked at Gary.

"I like that idea," May said.

"Me too," Dawn added while shrugging her shoulders - she was nonchalant with the idea.

"I guess it's cool," Drew said lazily as if he didn't care. "We'll be having fun anyways."

"Doing what?" May asked.

"Sorry May, but we can't tell you that," Ash answered before Drew could.

"Why not?" the bluenette asked curiously.

"Because it's our business and not yours," Gary replied.

"I think it's our business since we're your girlfriends," Leaf retorted.

"Hey, we have to keep some things private," Ash said.

"Wait, are done? I need to get home," May said, stopping a feud that was about to take place. "Because all we're doing right now is arguing."

"Yup. I already said we were going out with Kai...so we're done," Gary said.

"You said that at lunch today. Why'd we have to have a meeting just so you could tell us that again?" Dawn asked glaring at the brown-haired boy.

"I wanted to get my point across."

May rolled her eyes at the boy and stood, facing Drew. She reached for his hand, tugging him gently and said, "Come on Drew, take me home."

Then Leaf stood up from the chair and walked over to Gary and smiled innocently at him before saying, "You're taking me home too, right?" Gary playfully rolled his eyes before standing up and wrapping his arms around his girlfriend.

"Of course. But how did you get here?"

"We rode the bus Gary...duh. How else do you think we got here?" Dawn said as she walked over to him giving him a strange look while doing so. "By walking?"

"You could have," Gary mumbled sarcastically under his breath.

Drew, May, Gary, and Leaf made their way out of Ash s room and were heading downstairs. Dawn was reading a text message she received from her mother a few minutes ago.

Ash walked to his bedroom door and yelled, "Shut the door on the way out." He waited until he heard a faint okay and the front door slam shut before he closed his door to make sure Mr. Mime or Pikachu or anyone in that matter interrupted them and walked over to Dawn.

"Apparently my mom won't be home until late tonight," the bluenette said as she skimmed the text message from her mother. "She said she's with your mom at the adult carnival - whatever that is - and Piplup is with her."

Ash smiled and walked behind Dawn and snaked his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "Which means you can stay here for a while."

Dawn smiled and wiggled out of his grasp before turning to face him. "Sorry, but I have homework to do. So can you take me home please?" She asked and kissed him lightly on his lips.

"I think homework can wait."

"I think it can't" Dawn challenged with a smirk on her face. She started to walk away from him but he reached for her hand and brought her back to him.

"And thanks for putting a hickey on my neck. My mom freaked when she saw it today. And you culdn't tell me you did it?"

Dawn giggled and a light red hue appeared on her cheeks. "I thought you knew. By the way, it's what they were talking about at lunch today."

"I know that...now. Therefore, I think it's time for a little payback." Ash deviously smiled at her before kissing her. He slowly backed her towards his bed but stopped when she broke the kiss.

"I don't even know why you want payback. You're always giving me some."

"Because your hair is long enough to hide them and mine isn't long enough."

"Oh, so~ basically you re saying that its okay for you to give me some but it s not alright for me to give you some?"

"Exactly," Ash whispered by her ear. He went back to her mouth and began kissing her again.

As the kiss began to deepen, Dawn reluctantly pulled away. "Really Ash, I have to get home and I ll never get there if we continue. I don t plan on staying up late tonight trying to finish my homework."

"Maybe if you never put a hickey on my neck I'd be taking you home right now."

Dawn smiled and kissed him. "It's not even that serious."

"I was embarrassed in front of Drew and Gary pretty bad. So yes, it's serious."

"You and your petty little excuses," Dawn said, rolling her eyes and snaking her arms around his neck.

The raven-haired boy smirked and went close to her ear and whispered, "Besides you know you want me."

Dawn blushed. That was something she couldn't deny. Though that cocky statement you know you want me reminded her of Drew, she gave in to his words. The way he whispered it in her ear made chills run throughout her body. She actually had to refrain herself from pushing him on the bed.

Ash began showering her neck with soft kisses causing her to tilt her head to one side to give him more access to her neck.

Then he went back to her lips and kissed her once more but even deeper this time.

Dawn couldn't do anything for she was lost in his kiss.

_'Maybe homework can wait...'_

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: I love making scenes like that between them xD it's fun! Anyways...so did you get the whole concept of this chapter? Kai's birthday ;) *cough* and May's strange attitude towards Dawn? Btw, anyone want to guess why May's acting that way? ;) I gave a HUGE hint in the chapter so it should be easy...if you caught it ;). And also...what is Dawn doing to her picture? ;) hm... Well, I'll leave you to think about those questions for a bit ;) The next chapter shouldn't take long to get up. It's going to be short. Short as an two-thousand to three-thousand words short. It's going to be more like a filler. You'll find out what Dawn is doing with her painting (maybe) you'll at least see two reactions from it ;) and you'll find out why May is acting the way she is towards Dawn. If you have not even the slighest clue why then I think it will be quite surprising to you :p So until whenever I update again... bye :D. Please review :D<strong>


	11. I'll Tell You How I Feel

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone :] I told you it wouldn't be long of a wait for this chapter :p It's short, so you know why. So, last chapter I asked if anyone knew why May was acting the way she was towards Dawn and I loved reading what you thought ^_^ Some were off xD and some were on the right track but one person got it exactly right! Like legit, exactly right! Of course I won't say who though, so you can go read the review and see the reason :p**

**Well, enough of me talking :) Read and find out what May is _hiding..._**

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><p>"I'll see you tomorrow Ash," Dawn said as she wrapped her arms around Ash and hugged him. He obliged by putting his arms around her body and bringing her closer to him.<p>

Ash bent his head down and kissed her for a few seconds before he said, "Call me when you get home."

The bluenette let go of her boyfriend and looked up at him. "I will. But I have to go." Dawn kissed him one more time and they parted ways. Ash knew his girlfriend was staying back but he didn't know why. He knew she hated staying back after school and she usually never did it unless she had too. And when she did have to, she wouldn't be in a good mood.

But surprisingly, she was in a great mood. Se actually seemed anxious to stay back after school. He asked her why she was staying back at school but she would either ignore him or tell him "no reason." So eventually, he left it alone. Maybe she didn't want him to know...

Dawn happily walked down the empty halls with a smile on her face. She, indeed, was excited to stay back. She was ready to re-start her project.

It worked out pretty well that May and Leaf just so happen to be staying back also. So Leaf agreed to take both of them home after they were finished at school.

The bluenette walked in the classroom and she saw her art teacher sitting at his desk with papers scattered everywhere. Mr. Greene heard her walk in and he snapped his head up.

"I'm here," she said, smiling and sitting her bag down on a nearby desk. "You said you will be here until five, right?" Dawn asked, glancing at the clock.

Mr. Greene nodded his head. "Yes. Your old canvas is in the closet and it's a clean one in the closet too along with the paint," he said and went back to his work or whatever he was doing when Dawn walked in.

Dawn walked to the art supply closet and a few grabbed bottles of different color paint, a fresh, unused canvas, her old picture that she was working on, and an easel to sit her canvas on. Dawn placed everything where it needed to be so she could began her work. She eyed the clock, seeing that the hands were showing two-thirty pm. She had a couple of hours to work on the painting.

Dawn thought for a moment to see where and how she wanted to start the painting. Finally, she picked up the paintbrush, its bristles long and narrow, and dipped the tip of the brush into brown, glossy paint and softly ran the brush across the white canvas. She painted in a straight line and dipped the brush back into the brown paint to get more of the substance on the tip.

Picking up where she left off, she started at the end of the line she painted and went down a couple of inches before starting a new line off the vertical line. Dawn repeated this until she felt it was enough. Then, she fluently painted inside the brown, zigzag lines until it was full.

The bluenette examined what she did and smiled. Pleased with her work so far, she wiped the brown paint off the brush, dipped it into another color, and glided the tip of the brush across the canvas.

Each movement of her wrist was perfect, fluent, nimble, and the end result was exquisite.

The clock displayed five o'clock pm - the big hand on the twelve and the little hand on the five. The bluenette smiled and set the paintbrush down and studied her picture. Needless to say that she was very pleased with herself. She wasn't done yet, but just a few more details to add would make it perfect. She could always do that in the next class since she didn't have time now.

Mr. Green walked up to Dawn and looked at her picture. He nodded his head in approval. "Very beautiful, Dawn. This may be your best work yet. You truly have the hand of an artist," he complimented the girl, making her blush and smile sheepishly. He gathered the supplies and placed them in the supply closet, and then he went to his desk and began gathering the papers that were spread out over his desk.

"Psst" a noise came from outside of the door. Dawn looked towards the door and Saw Leaf poking her head in the classroom and gesturing with her hand for Dawn to come on.

Dawn gestured for Leaf to come in so she could see the picture. She was going to wait until Friday to let everyone see it but decided to show Leaf and May for their input on her artwork.

Both brunettes walked in the classroom, causing Mr. Greene to eye them cautiously for he didn't know who the two girls were.

"They're my friends," Dawn said, seeing the look in Mr. Greene's eyes. "I want to show them my painting," Dawn quickly added.

Mr. Greene nodded his head and said, "Alright, but make it quick."

The bluenette smiled and looked at Leaf and May. "This is what I stayed back for. And I need both your opinions on it...and be honest." Dawn slowly turned the artwork around and both girls' mouth dropped open in surprise and amazement from the beautiful painting that was in front of them.

"Wow, D-dawn that's good," May said as she eyed the work of her "friend."

Leaf agreed by nodding slowly. "Very good. I mean, I knew you were very good at art but I didn't know you were that good. It's, like, professional."

Dawn beamed at the two girls. "T-thanks...so it's a yes right?"

"Definitely...It'll be a yes to someone, but a no to someone else." The bluenette eyes Leaf curiously as she tried to figure out what her friend was hinting at.

May rolled her eyes and told Dawn what Leaf meant, "Ash most likely won't like this. You know how he is."

"Ash won't mind. What does he even have to do with this?" Dawn didn't understand why Ash was always brought up in "certain" situations like now. Especially, when it has nothing to do with him.

"We're just saying Dawn," May said. "Does he know?"

"No. It's a surprise. Well, it will be to the others since you two know about it now," Dawn explained before she carefully placed her painting in the closet.

Without another word about Dawn's picture, the three girls left the school and were now in Leaf's car. Leaf was driving, May was in the passenger's seat and Dawn was in the back seat, gazing out the window - she was lost in her thoughts.

Were May and Leaf right? Would Ash really get upset over her painting? There was no reason to though, because it's for a special occasion. It's not as if it means anything.

Dawn was snapped out of her thoughts when Leaf pulled up to her house and called her name a few times. Once the bluenette was out of the car - saying bye to her "friends" first - Leaf pulled out of her driveway and were headed towards May's house.

It was a quiet ride, other than the radio playing, before Leaf asked, "What should we do at our little sleep over Friday night? Or we could go out. We just need to do something fun since the boys seem to have something planned."

"You were serious about that?" May asked, glancing at Leaf. "I thought you only said that to get on the boys' nerves or something."

"Well, I kind of did. But, I really do think you, Dawn and me should hang out. It'll be fun and it's been a while since us three did something together without the boys."

"I'm not sure if I want to hang out with you guys..." May trailed off her sentence and looked quietly out the window. Leaf turned into May's neighborhood.

"Why not?" The brunette asked, sounding a little hurt. May always liked to hang out with them and now she was saying she didn't want to? Leaf had a small idea why and hopefully she was about to find out.

May took in a deep breath and let it out. Leaf pulled up to May's house. She put the car in park, switched off the engine, and turned to face her best friend. They were about to have a little talk.

"Does it have something to do with Dawn?" May didn't answer. Her eyes were glued on something as she stared out the window. "May, you know you can talk to me right? What's been going on lately with you and Dawn? What's happening with you two?"

May finally broke her gaze and turned to face Leaf. Now she was ready to talk. "Do you remember a few years ago how I liked Ash? And I was about date him-"

"Until Misty messed it up and told him you didn't like him...and he ended up with her?" Leaf finished. May slowly nodded her head.

"Well, I never got over him..."

Leaf's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock. She never expected that secret to come out. "S-so, all these years you've liked Ash? B-but, I thought you didn't like him anymore once he and Misty got together?"

"I lied to make it seem like I didn't care that he was with Misty and not me. I liked him a lot - I mean a whole lot."

"So...does...I don't even know what to say. That really shocked me. Is that the reason why you're acting funny towards Dawn? Are you jealous of her and Ash?"

May shook her head. "No, I'm not jealous. If that were the case then I would have been acting like this towards her for the past two years. I was actually really happy for both of them, honestly, despite my feelings for him. I was happy with Drew and I still am."

"Then why are you acting the way you are towards Dawn if you're not jealous or whatever?"

"Because, because she's being stupid! She's not treating Ash they way he should be treated! He's a really great guy and he loves her a lot. But, she's pushing him away and she doesn't even know it."

"Wait, this has something to do with Kai?" May nodded her head. "But, I thought she was...you know..."

May shook her head and rolled her eyes. "No! Not at all! Leaf, she really knows what she's doing. When she's around everyone, she doesn't do anything. But it's different when it's only her, Kai and me. It's like a never-ending flirting game between them. And I don't mean flirting like giggling and batting the eyelashes thing. I mean flirting on a whole new level."

"But, that doesn't mean anything," Leaf said, trying to defend Dawn. "Every girl flirts."

"But not to her extent if they're in a relationship. I saw her rubbing her leg against his under the desk last week." May sighed. "It's just so much you don't know."

"L-like what?"

"Did she tell you she likes him?"

Leaf's facial expression showed how flabbergasted she was. Did Dawn really like Kai or was May making this up? If she did like him, then Dawn would have told her as well as May.

"She likes him?" Leaf asked to make sure she heard correctly. May nodded her head.

"Mhm~ she likes him. She told me a couple of weeks ago."

"How much does she like him?"

"She told me on a scale from one to ten...four."

"Four? That's, like, almost half! So, she likes him as more than a crush?" The other brunette nodded her head. "Wow...but Ash is her boyfriend! She's not supposed to like him, like that. A crush would have been fine but..." Leaf trailed off her sentence and eyed May.

"Exactly! She doesn't want to be more than friends with him but still it's not right to Ash!" May lowered her voice and said in a low tone, "That's why I act the way I do towards her. I can't help it...Ash deserves so much better than her."

"Someone like you?"

May blushed and said in a shy tone, "Yes."

"If you had the chance would you date Ash?"

May shrugged her shoulders and thought for a moment before she answered. "I'm not sure. I love him like a brother but I also like him in a non-brotherly way, but I still love Drew. I would never dump Drew just to be with a person I've liked for a long time. Wait-"

"How much do you like Ash? On a scale from one to ten," Leaf asked, cutting the girl's sentence off.

"Three," the brunette answered, honestly. "I used to like him way~ more than that but it kind of wore off over the years especially ever since I've been with Drew."

"Alright, hold on," Leaf said. "I need to put everything together to see if I get it." Leaf thought about everything May just told her.

May likes Ash, but loves him as a brother.

She's liked him ever since middle school.

Dawn was supposed to "lay off" with Kai, but she only does when she she's around everyone.

Dawn likes Kai and flirts with him much more than she should when it's only May and those two together.

May is "mad" at Dawn because she's not being faithful to her boyfriend.

"Okay," Leaf said, snapping out of her thoughts. "So let me get this straight. You're mad at Dawn because she's not being a good girlfriend and since you like Ash, it really bothers you that she's acting like that and you think he deserves better. Is that right?"

"Right on the nail," May answered. It was as if Leaf read her mind. This is why she liked talking to Leaf. She was always able to figure it out and she understood unlike some people... "I care about Ash, obviously, and I don't want him to get hurt. And that's going to end up happening if Dawn keeps messing around with Kai. She acts more like a girlfriend to him than she does to Ash. "And at this point my feelings for Ash are taking control of me when it comes to Ash."

"I understand. It's horrible to see the person you care about a lot hurt. But if you know about this, then why don't you tell Ash?"

May thought before she said something. She didn't think about letting Ash know about what his girlfriend was doing, but then again, "B-but I don't want to be the cause of them breaking up or fighting. I know it's wrong, but I just can't do it. I like them together, honestly I do, and I don't want to break them up all because of my feelings, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. It would seem somewhat selfish. But still..." Leaf trailed off her sentence and sighed. "How about we talk to her Friday while we're at my house? And this time, we really get deep into it."

"We can't...you're not supposed to know anything that I told you about her. So don't tell her I told you she likes him."

"I won't, but we can still talk to her."

May put her hand on the door handle and opened the door before saying, "Just promise to keep this conversation between us?"

"I won't tell anyone, but-"

"Good, I have to go." Before Leaf could say anything else, May got out the car and closed the door behind her before she made her way to her front door. The brunette began feeling a little uneasy about telling Leaf about Dawn and how she feels about Ash. However, it did feel good to finally get that off her chest. She needed to talk about that with someone, Leaf was the right person to share that information with, and she felt good about it...but that uneasy feeling never went away.

Leaf watched as May stormed off so all of a sudden as if she had done something she should not have. Did May regret telling her the things she told her? If so, than why?

Leaf started her car and drove away from May's house with everything May just told her on her mind.

Dawn couldn't possibly like Kai, could she? Maybe she could but was it as bad as May was explaining it or was May exaggerating to make Dawn seem like the bad person because of how she felt for Ash?

And was being mad at Dawn because of what she was doing really sensible? Or was May just maybe jealous of Ash and Dawn's relationship?

Leaf sighed as these questions ran through her head.

She was both girls' best friend. And right now the two aren't acting really friendly towards each other, which means in only a matter of time something would surely threaten their friendship and Leaf would be stuck in between them and forced to take a side.

But after the talk she had with May, she felt like she was being forced to take a side now...

Was May right about what she said about Dawn?

Or was she lying and is Dawn innocent?

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: So~ who's side are you on? ;) I did a little foreshadowing at the end...did anyone catch it? ;) It's one particular line :p<strong>

**Now you know why May was acting bitchy and you know her secret feelings for Ash. I don't think I could go that long with liking a boy and knowing I can't have him xD I would probably go crazy...even if I did have a boyfriend.**

**Whoever reviews this chapter, could you answer a few questions for me? I want your thoughts about the chapter and about what's going on.**

**1) Did you expect May to _still _like Ash? (Information about this was mentioned in the first story if you remember.)  
>2) Do you think May's reason to act funny towards Dawn is sensible or is it just an excuse she's using because she likes Ash?<br>3) Who's side are you on? May or Dawn's and why? If you're with May then you agree with everything she told Leaf about Dawn. If you're with Dawn, then you think she's over Kai and that May is making stuff up because of how she feels for Ash.  
>4) Who do you think Leaf will choose and why?<br>5) If Leaf chooses a side, do you think a friendship will be broken? If yes, then which one? Or who?  
>6) What do you think Dawn's picture is, what or who it's for, and why would Ash not like it? ;)<strong>**  
>7) And the last question...did you catch my foreshadowed hint? If so, then what was the hint? State the line ;)<strong>

**Please answer those questions to the best of your ability if you review :) I really want to know what you guys have to say about all of this. **

**And thanks to every one that reviewed the last chapter :D Sorry, that I didn't respond to them /: I'd tell you why, but it's a complicated story and I doubt you'd want to hear it. But I do notice them, I do read them, I love your feedback, and I love your reviews :D**

**Thanks guys! Please review and anwer my questions :) Heads up: Next chapter will be a time skip to Friday...but I don't know when I'm updating again so...**

**-Angel ^_***


	12. Happy Birthday, Kai!

**Author's Notes: Sorry about the long wait guys. I feel really bad /: I had a hard time with chapter. This was actually supposed to part of what's going to be chapter 13, but I decided against it because I got an idea (which you'll find out at the end ;]) and decided to split it up. So this was really supposed to be a big chapter...but the wait would have been longer so splitting the chapter up was a good idea :) benefits me and you.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter ^_^ You have no idea how much fun it was to read you guys' answers to my questions. By the way, your answers will not affect the story, I just wanted to see what your thoughts were on everything. But anyways, thanks for reviewing and answering my questions :D You're all awesome! ;D**

**Now, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**By the way, it's a time skip to Friday.**

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><p>"Kai!" Dawn shouted. She beamed as she ran up to the brown-eyed boy and threw her arms around his neck, causing him to almost lose his stability. Her actions caught him by surprise, but he wrapped his arms around her and returned the warm embrace.<p>

Dawn stood on the tips of her toes, leaned closer to his ear, and whispered, "Happy Birthday." Her breath sent chills through his body. Something about those chills felt right to him; it felt _good._

Kai couldn't help but grin. He picked up the bluenette and spun her around in a circle to which she obliged by holding onto him tighter and laughing.

He placed her back on her feet and looked into her blue oceanic eyes while he still held her in his arms. "Thank you, Dawn," he said softly. A light red blush covered Dawn's cheeks. However, she simply smiled, her eyes lighting up as she gazed into his auburn ones.

Silence grew between them as they continued to stare into each other's eyes, lacking realization that they were still locked into each other's arms.

However, Dawn broke the intimate moment between them when she removed her arms from around his neck, which caused him to remove his arms around her body. They both blushed and quickly looked away from each other.

"Maybe we should get to class," Dawn suggested. She started feeling a little awkward because of what just happened between them. She forced herself to look at him as she grabbed his hand and lightly pulled him towards the classroom. "So come on birthday boy!" Kai smiled and allowed her to pull him to class.

When the pair entered the classroom, a series of "Happy Birthday" filled the room. Dawn let go of Kai's hand, so he could talk to everyone who wished him a happy birthday, and walked to her seat. May hadn't arrived at school yet, so her seat was empty. Not that Dawn cared.

Kai walked over to his school desk which was next to Dawn's and sat down.

"So," Dawn said, smiling at him. "What's your plan for tonight?"

Kai put his hands behind his head in a casual manner, leaned back in his chair, and smirked at Dawn. "Nothing much just hang with the guys," he answered.

The bluenette rolled her eyes before responding. "Duh~ I mean what are-"

Kai interrupted her by saying, "I know what you mean. Sorry, Dawn, I can't tell you what we're doing tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because, it's top secret, as Drew says."

"Yeah, what-" Dawn stopped herself when she saw May walk into the door with a smile on her face.

The brunette walked towards them and stopped in front of Kai's desk. "Happy birthday!" May said, happily before she walked away, heading towards a desk that was on the other side of the room.

"Why is she sitting over there and not with us?" Kai asked as he watched the brunette walk to another desk.

Dawn nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and looked at May. She was now talking to some other girl, laughing and giggling with her. "I don't know. She's been acting really strange lately. I don't care though. It's whatever."

The teacher walked into the classroom, shutting the door behind him and immediately begun writing on the whiteboard with a black marker.

Kai looked at Dawn from the corner of his eye and he could see her head was turned slightly in May's direction - he knew she was looking at the brunette. Kai sighed and began writing whatever the teacher wrote on the board.

He actually noticed the change in the girls' behavior towards each other but just never thought anything of it until now. "_I wonder what's going on with those two..."_

**x-x-x**

Leaf sat at her desk, twirling a strand of her dark brown hair while being lost in her thoughts. She was thinking about the talk she had with May. It had been on her mind for the past couple of days.

She didn't know what to believe at this point. She didn't know if she should believe May. She had feelings for Ash. And sometimes a person's feelings can get the best of them.

Was this perhaps happening to May? Did May make up what she said about Dawn because how she feels for Ash? No, May wouldn't make stuff up. She was probably the most honest person Leaf knew - she never lied. She always said what was on her mind. So why would she lie about something like this?

It was possible that Dawn really does like Kai but Dawn hasn't informed Leaf on her little secret and they tell each other everything. So that brings up the same question: Is May lying about what she said? Or... maybe Dawn didn't want Leaf to know. But, that would bring up another question: Why? It's not as if Leaf would tell anyone.

The brunette sighed in exasperation. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't just simply ignore what May told her.

"What's wrong?"

Leaf jumped in surprise at the sound of her boyfriend's voice. She had been so deep in thought, she wasn't aware of her surroundings anymore.

Gary sat at an empty seat next to her and asked again, _"What's wrong?"_

"N-nothing," the brunette answered quickly but by the look on Gary's face she could tell he wasn't buying it. And he wasn't.

"Really?" Gary said, arching an eyebrow.

"Mhm~ I'm fine." Leaf gave him a false smile and turned away with a small blush dusting her cheeks. She was hoping he would buy her lies but she knew he was smarter than that.

Gary held her hand, which forced her to turn her head and look at him. "Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that?" he asked in one of his _rare_ serious tones. Gary was always able to tell when something was on her mind and he always had his ways of getting it out of her. Usually when she was _this_ deep in thought, something was bothering her and he could tell that something was _definitely_ on her mind.

And being a good boyfriend, he makes her talk about it because he knows how she gets when there's something heavy on her mind.

Leaf groaned and rolled her eyes. "Okay fine." Gary grinned after she said this - his plan worked again. Leaf simply rolled her eyes at the smug look on her boyfriend's face. "There is something I've been thinking about..." the girl trailed off her sentence and bit down on her lip.

"And that something is...?" Gary said, urging her to go on.

"I need some advice," she said slowly. Leaf didn't know why she said that. Yes, she did need advice. She was so confused and she needed some advice on what to do and Gary was a good person for advice - he always knew what to say and what to do. However, she couldn't tell him about the whole dilemma with May and Dawn. It wasn't for him to know about...

But she needed to figure out what to do and she was sure she couldn't do it by herself.

"I-it's for my _cousin_," Leaf added so Gary wouldn't think she was the one who really needed the advice.

"Okay~" Gary dragged out the word in an uncertain tone as if he didn't believe her. "What's the problem?"

"Well, my _cousin_ has two best friends and she said they've been best friends for two years." Gary listened intently as his girlfriend spoke. "They both have boyfriends that they've been dating for just about two years. So my_ cousin_ told me this new guy transferred to their school and one of her friends starts falling all over him and her boyfriend gets extremely jealous. After a few arguments with her boyfriend, a close end to their relationship, and a few talks from my cousin and her other friend the girl realized what she was doing and said she would...stop."

"Sounds like the same situation with Ash and Dawn..." Gary said in a suspicious tone.

"Yeah..." Leaf said quietly and went back to explaining the story. "Anyways...my _cousin's_ other friend said the girl didn't stop messing around with the other guy. Okay, my _cousin_ told me her friend came to her and they talked...her friend was upset. She was treating the other girl like crap for a while and she had a reason behind it." Leaf stopped herself and drew in a breath.

"And what was the reason?" Gary said. He was trying to get her to continue.

"Um..." she said. "Her friend told her that the reason why she was acting so bitchy towards the other girl was because she thinks it's wrong that she's still messing with the other boy...while having a boyfriend. On top of that, the girl likes the guy. Do you think that makes sense to act like that towards your friend?

"Wait, what?" Gary asked with a look of confusion on his face. "Which girl likes which guy?"

"The girl that's acting weird towards her friend likes her friend likes her boyfriend. And the other girl likes the boy she flirts with."

"Oh~" Gary said as if a light bulb clicked on in his head. "Wow, that's kind of bad," Gary said. He crossed his arms and slightly titled his chair back as he began thinking. Leaf looked at him with a funny expression. What was he doing? "Let me get this straight," Gary said while he unfolded his arms and placed the chair back on all four legs. "Both girls have a boyfriend, but one is cheating-"

"Not cheating," Leaf corrected him. "She's just flirting with him...a lot. Well that's what my _cousin_ said her friend told her."

"Well _'flirting'_" Gary said, adding finger quotations with the word "flirting." "The other girl is upset because of how the girl is constantly flirting with the other boy and she likes him."

"Precisely," Leaf said with a head nod.

"Okay, well to answer your question I can see where the girl is coming from - kind of."

Leaf's eyebrows went up in shock. "Really?"

"Yeah, because the girl cares about the boy - obviously - if she likes him. She just doesn't want to see him get hurt. However, that doesn't give her the reason to act different towards her friend. Though she's talked to her before, she could try talking to her again but this time, really, really talking to her. Maybe even telling her she likes her boyfriend - it would clear that part up."

"That's what I was thinking," Leaf said. "But, that's kind of not it. You see, my _cousin_ also told me that she's not sure if she believes what the girl told her. The girl didn't actually tell my _cousin_ that she likes the boy and they're best friends and usually tell each other everything. So it seems kind of strange to her that she hasn't told my _cousin_, but only the other girl. It's like, one side of her thinks she's making the things up about the other girl but the other side of her believes what the girl told her. Therefore, she's not sure what to do. She feels like if she believes her, than she'll be betraying one friend because she's not sure if it's true since she really only heard one side of the story. And she thinks if she doesn't believe her, than the girl will get mad at her and they won't be friends anymore." Leaf looked Gary in the eyes and said softly, "And she feels like she has to choose between friends, like right now. And she doesn't know what to do or who to believe. I guess, basically, she wants to know what you would do if _you_ were in this situation. Who would you choose or believe?"

"What would I do?" Gary asked himself before going into thought about the question. "I wouldn't choose a side - at least until I had both sides because you never know, the girl _could _be lying. But then again, she might not be. Tell your cousin to wait and just stay out of whatever the girls are going through. If your cousin is best friends with the girl that's "_flirting" _with that guy than I'm sure she'll tell her sooner or later how she feels about him, if she does. For now, your cousin can just observe how the girl acts when she's around the other guy when she's around them. But, give her some time. Let her go to you- erm, your _cousin_." Gary smiled sheepishly as his mistake. "Sorry, I thought I was giving _you_ the advice for a moment."

Leaf smiled, hiding how relieved she was. She thought Gary had caught onto her act.

"But tell your cousin what I said and I'm sure it'll work. I'm the best when it comes to advice." Gary smiled cockily at his girlfriend.

Leaf rolled her eyes playfully and hugged him. "Thanks, you have _no idea_ how much this will mean to my_ cousin_."

Leaf felt relieved, like a heavy weight lifted off her shoulders. Why hadn't she thought about that? Maybe because she felt like she was being pressured by May. However, she didn't have to worry about that anymore because she was going to do what Gary told her - _cousin_ - to do. Leave it alone and only observe. Let Dawn come to _her_. And she will if what May said was true.

But right now, Leaf could only wait.

Maybe Dawn will tell her_ something._

And maybe she won't.

**x-x-x**

"Officially finished," Dawn said in delight as she took a step back to admire her now complete artwork. It was absolutely perfect.

"Wonderful work, Dawn," came a deep, familiar voice behind the bluenette. She turned her head enough to see her art teacher gazing over her shoulder to look at her work with a wide smile on his face. "Out of all your paintings, I have to say this one is my favorite. You have a well-earned one hundred. And the pokemon is a nice touch."

Dawn smiled at her teacher before she looked back at her artwork. She was amazed with it herself. "Thank you! So I can take it today, right?" The bluenette turned all the way around to face her teacher when she asked her question. She could see his face drop slightly when she asked him.

"Well," Mr. Greene started sheepishly. "I was hoping I could keep the painting for a while so I can put it on display so everyone can see your magnificent masterpiece."

"That _would_ be nice...but I painted this for someone special." A light blush sprinkled her cheeks after she said this. "And I plan on giving it to that person today."

Mr. Greene's frown turned into a sly smirk as he let out a small chuckle. "I'm guessing this young man," - he gestured to the painting - "is the special someone?"

The bluenette nodded her head, obliviously to what her teacher was _really_ saying, until she finally realized after a few seconds what he was getting at. The blush on her cheeks deepened as she sheepishly said, "N-no, you have it-"

The old man held his hand up, cutting the girl off. "No need to explain Dawn. I understand young love."

"But-"

"Say no more Dawn. You're in love!"

By now, the bluenette was frustrated. He was all wrong! "He's-"

The ringing of the school bell cut Dawn short. She rolled her eyes and carefully picked up her painting. "Whatever. I'll see you Monday Mr. Greene."

Dawn hurried out of the room with her painting in hand. She glanced in the lunchroom and was able to see their usual table empty. "I'll be the last to get there," she said, smiling to herself. She turned in the opposite direction of the cafeteria to go to her locker.

**...**

Kai approached his typical lunch table confidently, lunch tray in hand. Gary and Leaf were engaged in a somewhat intense argument as he sat down. Drew and Ash were smirking, but May looked seriously annoyed. "What're you two arguing about now?" Kai laughed, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Gary won't tell me what you idiots are doing tonight," Leaf grumbled.

"Because I'm not _supposed _to tell you," Gary replied in an annoyed tone.

Before Leaf could retort with a snarky comment, Kai butted in. "Alright you two, break it up. It's not _that_ serious."

"Thank you!" Gary said as if he was proving a point and looking at Leaf. The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes in defeat and crossed her arms.

"Now your girlfriend's mad at you, Gary," Ash said with a playful grin on his face. Drew snickered beside Ash.

"Eh, she'll get over it," Gary said. He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if she wasn't sitting right next to him. Leaf looked at him in disbelief and kicked his leg under the table. "Ow! What was that for?" The brown-haired boy asked, glaring at his girlfriend while rubbing the spot on his leg where she kicked him.

Leaf had a smug look on her face. She looked like she wanted to laugh, but she remained serious. "You were annoying me so I kicked you," Leaf bluntly said.

"_You_ were annoying _me_," Gary shot back. Leaf kicked her boyfriend again, but harder this time. "Would you stop that!" he said through gritted teeth as the pain shot up his leg.

Drew sighed in annoyance and he watched the couple go back and fourth _again._ "It's never a day when those two don't argue."

"It wouldn't be a normal day if those two didn't argue." A sweet voice said from behind him. The boy turned his head and saw Dawn with something in her hand, which immediately caught his attention.

"Hey Dawn, what's that?" Drew asked.

The bluenette winked at him and said as she walked to her seat, "It's a surprise." Dawn sat down in her seat carefully so she wouldn't mess up her painting. "Hey Ash," she chimed happily while kissing him on the cheek. "And birthday boy," she said, playfully nudging him. Dawn noticed Gary and Leaf were _still_ arguing over something but she brushed it off. It was normal for them. They'd make up for it later.

"What's that?" Ash asked. He was eyeing the thing Dawn had in her hands in curiosity. All he could see was the blank side of whatever she was holding in her hands.

"Oh!" she said, suddenly remembering the painting in her hands. She turned to face Kai who looked amused while he watched Gary and Leaf argue. She smiled and leaned over to his ear and whispered, "Hey, Kai."

He jerked in surprise when he felt her breath tickle his ear. Those same chills ran through his body again. "Yes?" He turned his attention toward her. He could see Ash looking curiously over Dawn's shoulder.

"I have a surprise for you." Dawn placed the painting on her lap, upside down so he couldn't see exactly what it was yet. "Happy Birthday, Kai." She handed him the picture face down with a thoughtful smile on her face.

Kai smiled back at her and took his gift from her hands. "Thanks Dawn, but you di-" He stopped mid-sentence when he turned the canvas over, revealing the picture of _him._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Picture revealed! For those of you who didn't know what it would be...now you know xD. I guess I left you with a little cliffhanger, huh? XD Sorry, I couldn't help it. That was actually the reason why I split up the chapter, so I could leave it at this part ;)<strong>

**I promise I won't start doing this every chapter, but I have a few more questions. **

**1. Did you expect the painting to be Kai? If no, then did it surprise you? If yes, then why did you expect it?  
>2. What do you think Ash's reaction will be? After all...if you remember...it was <em>supposed<em> to be a picture of _him not Kai.  
><em>3. Do you agree with Gary's advice to Leaf?  
>4. And if you gave Leaf advice about the same situation, what would be <em>your<em> advice to her? (This question isn't mandatory, but answer if you want :]  
>5. Your thoughts on this chapter? :)<strong>

**Not as many questions as the other chapter, so that's a good thing :) But, please answer them I love you guys' feedback ^_^**

**Chapter 13 shall be here shortly. Hopefully, sometime this week since I'm on spring break (no school for a week! WOOT!) and I'll have plenty of time to work on it. Plus, it's already halfway done :) So it shouldn't take me much longer to finish, but I'm making no promises...keep that in mind.**

**So until next time (hopefully in a few days) readers,**

**- Angel ^.^  
><strong>


	13. A Happy Birthday, Indeed!

**Author's Notes: Hi...*smiles sheepishly* It's been... almost a _month? _Sorry guys /: I know I said, I'd be quick to update...but this chapter took much longer to write than I imagined it would...and you can see by the word count why. I didn't think this chapter would be this long...I never even thought I'd ever write this much in a chapter. Shadowkittyxx is seriously rubbing off on me with her 50,000 word chapters xD**

**Anyway, I am truly sorry...I even left a little cliff hanger at the end of the last chapter /: Sorry, I know it feels *Cough* Shadowkittyxx -_-**  
><strong>But, I promise this chapter will make up for it, at least I think so. This was really fun to write and I think it's a fun chapter...you know to get away from all the craziness for a bit. So you all will hopefully enjoy it :)<strong>

**I'll stop talking now...I know you all are anxiously waiting for a certain raven-haired boy's _predictable_ reaction ;)**

* * *

><p>Kai's eyes were wide and his mouth dropped open. The picture she painted of him was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. Dawn painted a headshot of him smiling with his Shinx on his shoulder. Shinx was standing on it's two back legs on his trainer's shoulder with it's two paws on Kai's head as if he was trying to keep his balance, but with a smile on it's face. The colors were brilliant and they ran together smoothly.<p>

Kai's sudden silence made Dawn nervous. She was thinking he didn't like her painting until she saw a smile form on his face. "Wow, this is amazing, Dawn!" he said honestly, finding it very difficult to take his eyes off the painting. The artwork was absolutely stunning.

"I-it's nothing, really." Dawn blushed at hearing him say her name. The way he said it gave her goose bumps and caused her heart to beat rapidly; she didn't really understand why.

"What do you mean this is nothing?" Kai asked, his eyes still locked on the incredible painting of him and his Shinx. "One of the best birthday gifts I'd ever received," he smiled sincerely at the bluenette, causing her blush to deepen. His smile was utterly amazing. "Thank you, Dawn." Kai hugged Dawn, but not for too long because Ash was eyeing them warily.

"What's that?" Ash asked for the second time after he was rudely ignored. He raised his eyebrow in curiosity at the painting in Kai's hand. His suspiciousness caused Leaf and Gary to stop their exasperating banter, and Drew and May to clue in to what was going on.

May fought to keep the smirk off her face. She was anxiously waiting for this moment. May was ready to see Ash's reaction to the work of art. She noticed he's become really invidious lately...and this just might make him _pop!_

However, Leaf and Gary were hoping Ash wouldn't get upset - they both knew _whom_ the painting was really_ supposed_ to be for and _who_ was _supposed_ to really be painted. And hopefully Ash didn't remember that it was supposed to be for _him_...? However, then again, who could forget something like that? They hadn't forgotten, so they were sure Ash hadn't either - he's the boyfriend.

Either way, they hoped Ash wouldn't blow this out of proportion.

Drew, on the other hand, was somewhat optimistic through the ordeal. Surely, he'd seen his best friend's jealousy get the better of him, but maybe this time was different? Maybe he wouldn't make a huge deal out the painting. However, it's Ash...and he's become severely tense lately.

However, the self-obsessed boy was too busy gazing blankly at the image to really think about what Ash's reactions may be.

"The painting I painted Kai for his birthday," Dawn answered proudly.

"T-this really good," Gary said. "It's so life-like. You captured his big head perfectly." Gary grinned at Kai, playfully teasing him. They all chuckled at Gary's little joke. "But, seriously Dawn that's really, _really _excellent."

"Yeah," the raven-haired boy agreed, _smiling_ as he nodded his head approvingly. "That painting is _amazing_."

Three pairs of eyes widened a small fraction in surprise at the boy's response, but the owners of the three pairs of eyes kept their cools. Even Drew was caught by surprise. Though, he was optimistic, he still had his doubts. Nonetheless, they were relieved Ash didn't blow his top - excluding the somewhat dissatisfied May - it just shocked them horribly.

With the way he's been acting lately, _you _would've thought so too.

"They should put it in a museum," Leaf said thoughtfully, trying to ward off the shocked feeling.

"I agree," Drew spoke. "Maybe you should draw me next. Then I can see how sexy I am in both the mirror and painting." Everyone laughed at Drew and his cockiness with his handsome looks. He flipped his hair and smirked.

"Aw, thanks guys," Dawn said, sheepishly smiling. "I'm glad you all like it, but most importantly I'm glad _you like _it." She smiled sweetly at Kai, her eyes sparkling under the glare of the cafeteria lights.

The brown-eyed boy's cheeks burned slightly as he smiled back at the bluenette. "Thanks again, Dawn."

"You're welcome." Her smile turned shy as he continued to look at her with his deep brown eyes.

If it weren't for the bell interrupting their concealed little moment, she would've started blushing.

Without saying much, the group got up from their table and exited out the cafeteria. May walked off with Drew, Kai headed for his locker so he could place the painting in their so the beautiful masterpiece wouldn't be ruined, Leaf kissed Gary goodbye and headed for class, and Gary hung back to wait for Ash while he spoke to Dawn.

"Your painting really is wonderful," Ash grinned as he wrapped his arm around Dawn.

"You _really_ like it?" She asked, smiling up at her boyfriend. Ash nodded his head truthfully. "Thanks, Ash. I'm kind of surprised you like it."

"Why?" Ash asked, giving Dawn a questioning stare.

Before she'd had the chance to answer Gary called to Ash, telling him to hurry before they were late to class.

Dawn rolled her eyes at Gary and focused her attention back on her boyfriend. "I guess I better go too. I'll see you after school, Ash." Dawn gave Ash a quick kiss before she walked away, heading for her class.

Ash watched her walk away for a bit before turning around and walked over to Gary. The brunette noticed a certain look on Ash's face, he wasn't sure exactly what kind of expression it was but he had to ask him,

"You okay, Ash?"

"Yeah," Ash replied coolly as they strode down the hallway in a casual manner. "Why wouldn't I be?" Gary shrugged his shoulders and simply left it alone.

Ash knew exactly why Gary asked him if he was okay. He was referring to the painting. Ash was full aware that it was supposed to be _him_ instead of Kai. Did it bother him and hurt him a bit? Yeah. Is he upset? Honestly, not really. It's Kai's birthday and Dawn just wanted to be nice and give him something special for his birthday, Ash understood that. Therefore, he didn't have a problem with it.

As long as there was _no other reason_ than it being a _friendly_ gesture...Ash Ketchum was fine with it, surprisingly.

_Right?_

**x-x-x**

"This is boring," Leaf said, throwing herself on her bed. "We're supposed to be having fun." _But instead, we have all this tension_, she thought to herself.

Dawn and May arrived at Leaf's house two hours ago and they were having no fun at all. They only watched TV for the past two hours, which was completely and utterly unexciting. You're supposed to have fun when you have a sleepover with your best friends. Apparently, it's a different story when two of your best friends aren't technically friends.

May, who was sitting on Leaf's windowsill with her legs crossed, said, "Yeah it is." May looked at the bluenette who was lying on the floor with her elbows propped up for support as she read something on her phone with a smile on her face. May rolled her eyes and looked out the window. She was pretty sure Dawn was reading a text from Kai.

The brunette had been keeping her distance from Dawn ever since she arrived at Leaf's house. They barely acknowledged each other. The tension between the two girls was thick.

"I wish we knew what the boys were doing," Dawn said aloud as she began texting on her phone.

Leaf perked up instantly as she sprung herself up from her bed with an idea forming her head. "We _can_ see what the boys are up to," the brunette said with a devious smile on her face. Dawn and May gave her suspicious looks so she explained to them exactly what she had in mind. "We can sneak over to Gary's house and spy on them! Perfect plan, right?"

"Wrong!" May said, jokingly sticking her tongue out at Leaf. "They're gone, remember? They won't be there - they'll most likely be out somewhere already."

"It's only seven thirty. It's still early for them to actually go out somewhere, if that's even their _real_ plan. So, most likely they _will_ still be at Gary's house.

"But Leaf, what if they catch us? They might think we're some crazy obsessed girlfriends who can't give their boyfriends their space," Dawn explained. "And we definitely are not that."

"We could tell them we were just-" Leaf cut her sentence short once she realized she didn't have a decent excuse to use. "Look, we will think of an excuse _if_ we get caught. Come on you two, it's not like we're doing anything else anyway. And it'll be fun to see what our boyfriends do when we're not around."

"Fine," May said with a smile as she gave into Leaf's reasonable explanation. "It _is_ better than nothing."

"Alright, I'm in!" Dawn said excitedly. "Wait, are we going in our pajamas?" Dawn asked, looking down at her sleepwear.

"I guess. There really is no reason to change out of them," Leaf explained.

The bluenette looked down at her pajamas again and shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, let's go!"

Leaf quickly jumped off her bed with excitement filling up inside her and grabbed her car keys before her, Dawn, and May walked out of her room.

The girls rode in silence as Leaf drove the short distance to Gary's house. Though they weren't showing it, all three girls were thrilled about the plan to spy on the boys. What girl wouldn't be anxious to spy on their boyfriend on one of their _guys night out?_ It was a once in a lifetime chance to see what the boys would be up to.

Leaf turned into Gary's neighborhood and found his street. She parked a few houses down from his house so if the boys were home and they just so happened to look out the window, they wouldn't see Leaf's car. As soon as Leaf cut off the car engine, all three girls quickly got out of the car and quietly snuck through other people's yards to get to Gary's house.

"I don't think they're here," May whispered as they tiptoed on the side of Gary's house. "His car isn't in the driveway."

"It might be in the garage," Leaf said.

"Or they probably took Drew's car - his car wasn't in the driveway," Dawn whispered.

Leaf peaked around the corner of his house. "The lights on and I can hear the TV," Leaf whispered. "Come on." She led the girls around the corner so they were in front of his house.

"We are so crazy for doing this," Dawn said softly. "We're in our pjs spying on our boyfriends."

They stopped in front of a window that allowed them to see directly in his living room and bent down so they couldn't be seen. All three girls' mouth dropped opened instantly when they saw the shocking sight.

The four boys were on the couch watching TV...but they weren't alone.

All four boys had a girl sitting beside them and they all had their arm wrapped around the girl they were sitting with.

"So this is how they spend their guys' night out!" Leaf said through gritted teeth. "Cheating on us with some...sluts?"

"I knew it!" the bluenette said to herself. Her vision went blurry as tears welled up in her eyes. Seeing _her_ Ash with another girl was breaking her heart. This couldn't really be happening could it? A tear rolled down Dawn's cheek. Whoever the girl was, he looked happy with her. He had a smile on his face and so did the girl. Was he happier than her than he was with Dawn?

"I can't believe it!" Leaf said a little louder than she should have. "Is Gary staring at her chest?" Leaf stood up from her position on the ground and started for the door while mumbling, "Sick pervert! He's cheating on the wrong one! Gary, Ash, and Drew are about to get their asses kicked!"

Dawn followed the brunette to the door. Now, she was angry. Ash lied to her; he said he would never cheat on her!

Right when Leaf was about to bang on the door May's voice stopped her. "Wait, guys come here!"

"What?" Leaf asked in an irritated voice.

"Come here! This might interest you." May motioned for the two girls to come back with her hand as she continued to peer through the window. She was the only one that was staying calm in this situation, simply because she observed before she made assumptions. Dawn and Leaf walked back to the window and crouched down again. "Look closely - they're not blinking and they haven't been for the past few minutes."

Dawn studied them for a moment and realized that they _weren't _blinking. "What the...?"

"Because they're all idiots! I swear their IQ is so low, that they forget to blink!" Leaf picked herself up off the ground. "I'm kn-"

"We've been expecting you three ladies," a voice said in a deep tone from behind the girls, startling them. The three girls turned around to see four very familiar boys with smirks across their faces and big, plastic water guns in their hands, aimed right at them and ready to fire at any moment.

The girls looked at them cautiously and curiously then in Gary's living room where they were _sitting_ then back at them _standing _in front of them. How could they be outside and inside at the same time? And why did they have water guns in their hands?

"B-but," May started but she couldn't get her words out. She was too confused about what exactly was going on.

"How are you here and there" - Dawn looked back in Gary's house and back at the _"boys"_ in front of her - "at the same time? And what heck are the water guns for?"

"Gary Oak!" Leaf hissed. Whatever was going on, she'd had enough of it. The smirk on the boys' face widened. "You better tell me what's-" Leaf's eyes widened she saw a string of water shoot straight at her, though she quickly dodged the water. All four boys chuckled. "Gary, I swear if that would've-"

Ash cut her off by saying, "_Get 'em."_

As soon as those two words left Ash's mouth, all four boys began firing water from their super soaker water guns causing the girls to squeal and scatter in different directions. Kai, Ash, Drew, and Gary looked at each other with a knowing look, nodded their heads with smirks on their faces, and set off in different directions. Gary went in the direction Leaf went, Drew and Kai followed May, and Ash went after Dawn.

Their mission: _Get revenge on the girls for spying.__  
><em>Plan B: Water fight!<em>_

**...**

Leaf ran around the side of her boyfriend's house as quickly as she could. She was in no mood for playing right now. He was with another girl on his couch! He was cheating! But...also he was standing in front of her at the same time. Leaf began walking and she groaned in anger. She just wanted an explanation for all this madness

"He better not try to spray me with water or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" Gary's voice cut Leaf's sentence short. She stopped in her tracks and glared while looking around for him.

"Where are you, Gary?" She asked in a harsh tone as she scanned her surroundings, though it was no use because it was dark. She heard a rustling sound and she turned her head in that direction. "Gary Oak! I'm not playing with you! You better show yourself right now!"

"Come find me," Gary responded. Leaf could tell by the sound of his smug voice that he was smiling.

"You're not funny!" Leaf roared angrily.

"I'm not trying to be." Gary laughed after he said this, which only irritated Leaf further.

Leaf cautiously began taking small steps forward in the dark.

"Yeah..." Came Gary's voice again. "Come towards me so I can get you wet."

Leaf stopped walking and her mouth dropped open before she said, "You're such a perv!"

Gary groaned and said, "I didn't even mean it that way! I'm talking about with the water gun!"

"Oh...well you're still a perv."

"But you still love me for who I am." She could tell by the sound of his voice that Gary had a smug look on his face when he spoke that sentence. She rolled her eyes and began taking small steps again. "Hey, don't roll your eyes! You know it's true."

"Whatever. Just come out from your hiding place! Because if I find you...you're dead!"

"I'm gonna be dead either way!" Gary complained, knowing the consequences he was to face when Leaf found him.

"Just stop hiding!" Everything went quiet - Gary didn't say anything - and she heard more rustling. She tried to look around but the darkness made it almost impossible to see anything clearly. She wasn't the type to get really scared, but right now, she had to admit it _was_ getting a little creepy.

"Who said I was hiding?" said a soft whisper in her ear. Leaf jumped up, startled by his voice, and turned around.

"Ah!" As soon as she turned around, cold water was shot in her face and hair. As she wiped her eyes for the access water, Gary broke into fits of laughter. Leaf took this as an opportunity and snatched the water gun away from him. He stopped laughing and before he could even try to say something, she kicked him on his knee and he fell to the ground. "That's for hiding from me! And this is for spraying water in my face!" She aimed the water gun at him, pressed the trigger, and started squirting him with the water. The brunette laughed at her boyfriend as he tried to dodge the water on the ground.

"Okay, Leaf!" As soon as he said that, the water stopped and he stopped squirming. "Thank you!" he said in a relieved tone.

"No, the water just ran out! You're luck-" Her sentence was cut short when Gary grabbed her wrist and pulled her down in his lap. "Get off me!" Leaf tried to get move away from him but he held onto her tight so she couldn't go anywhere.

"Why are you acting like this?" Gary asked.

Leaf stopped squirming and looked at him - or at least tried to see him in the dark. "Because I'm mad at you. And you're wet - ew!" She started to squirm again, but Gary stopped her.

"Why are you so mad at me?"

"You're seriously asking that question?"

"Yes, I'm _seriously_ asking that question. So tell me."

Leaf rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. "Hm...let's see," she said in a calm voice. "What are my reasons for being mad at you? One, you hid from me. Two, you squirted water in my face, and three you cheated on me with some slut!"

Gary couldn't help but chuckle at the last reason.

"Why are you laughing? Ugh, forget it! We-"

"I didn't cheat on you!" Gary said, cutting Leaf off from her sentence.

"Now you're a liar! I saw you on the couch with that girl. In fact, I saw all of you boys on the couch with girls! Ash and Drew were cheating also!"

"That wasn't us," Gary simply said.

She scoffed in disbelief. "Oh really? It really looked liked-"

"It was only decoys, Leaf, chill. No one was cheating."

"H-huh?" Leaf said. You could tell by the sound of her voice, that the anger in her was gone. "S-so...that was-"

"Fake?" Gary finished for her, smiling. "Yeah, we'd never cheat on you girls. Especially me."

Leaf threw her arms around Gary's neck and hugged him. "Oh, thank god! I thought I was going to have to kill you."

Gary chuckled and hugged his girlfriend back. It was good to have her _not_ mad at him for once.

She pulled back from him and looked at him with a smile on her face. "But, I'm still mad at you for squirting me! Now my hair is going to get frizzy."

The brown-haired boy laughed at his girlfriend and said, "I'm sorry. I bet I can make it up to you." Before Leaf had the chance to say anything, Gary kissed her.

Her eyes shut and her mouth parted gently lost slowly in the sensation of his lips on hers. She felt herself melting into him, and she couldn't stop. She moved her hands to his chest as he started to kiss her neck. She loved when he gave her the neck treatment as long as he didn't leave his mark on her.

Gary moved his right hand slowly down to her bare thigh while his left arm remained around her. He heard Leaf's breath speed up just a little and he smirked as he kissed a spot on her neck. He was just about to get in the groove when he heard,

_"Shit! Run, Drew!"_

_"Retreat, retreat!"_

Leaf groaned when Gary stopped his treatment on her. The shouts really ruined the mood.

"Uh, oh. Looks like Kai and Drew are in some trouble," Gary said with an amused smile on his face, not even thinking about how he and Leaf's intimate moment just got ruined. "Come on, let's go see what's going on." Leaf got up from Gary's lap and helped him stand up. Gary grabbed his water gun off the ground and they headed towards the direction of the shouts.

**...**

Dawn ran around the side of Gary's house, opposite of Leaf's direction, trying to get away from Ash who was chasing her with his water gun, constantly squirting her with the water. Some shots she managed to dodge and some she wasn't so lucky with doing so.

"Ash stop!" Dawn shouted over her shoulder. She heard Ash chuckle behind her in response.

"Give me a reason to and I _might_," Ash said pressing the water gun trigger, sending a string of water towards her. Unfortunately, for him, he missed.

Dawn ran around a tree and stopped behind the trunk while Ash was on the other side, eyeing her as if he was daring her to move so he could squirt her with water. "Because I'm not in the mood for your shit right now!" Dawn snapped. Her hair was wet. She was soaked. And Ash had some explaining to do. She wasn't too happy with him.

"Using bad language, young lady," Ash said shaking his head as if he was scolding her like a child. "Comes with consequences." Before Dawn could respond, Ash squirted water directly in her face.

"Aaasssh!" The bluenette squealed angrily as they cool water splashed against her face.

Ash tried to hold in his laughter as he watched his girlfriend wipe the water off her face then glare at him. "Why are you angry, Dawn?" Ash said in one of his voices that always made Dawn forgive him for whatever he did. Her face relaxed for a quick second but quickly went back to glaring at him.

His innocent voice didn't work this time.

"Don't act like you don't know!" Dawn said. The harshness in her voice surprised Ash a bit. Was she _that_ mad at him? Because he was squirting a bit of little water at her?

Ash smirked at her. He didn't care. He was going to have fun for a while with her anger then make it up to her. "Are you mad because you're hair is ruined?" Ash tried to sound considerate as he spoke. "I think it looks quite nice when it's wet."

"I'm _not_ mad at you for completely soaking my hair." Dawn ran her fingers through her wet hair and rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Ash said, sounding surprised his eyes wide for dramatic effect. "You're not?"

"No!"

A mischievous grin spread across Ash's face as he put his finger back on the water gun trigger. "Then I guess you won't mind if-"

"Ash," Dawn said in a warning tone when she saw his evil smile appear on his face. "You bet-" She stopped talking and quickly hid behind the tree trunk to dodge the water. "That's it!" The bluenette lunged herself at her laughing boyfriend, tackling him to the ground and causing the water gun to fly out of his hand.

"Ow!" Ash cried in pain as his back collided painfully with the ground.

"Not laughing now are you?" Dawn asked. She straddled him before he could react, her hands coming to hold his arms down. Maybe she should have held his wrist or hands instead of his arms so he wouldn't move under her as easily. However, it didn't matter because either way he was capable of getting her off him since she was light.

His lifted his forearms, his hands on her gripping her shoulder, and he shoved her.

She fell off him and he was on her in a second, his hands around her wrist as he pressed them down into the ground. He switched up his position over her – where as she had straddled both legs, one of his thighs insinuated itself between her own.

"Oh, I'm laughing." He smirked at her in victory. "But _you_ don't seem as amused...is it because you just realized that you have no power?"

"Get off me!" Dawn moved around under him, trying to get out of his lock on her, but he wasn't allowing her to go anywhere. "Ash seriously, let go of me."

The smiled disappeared off Ash's face when he realized Dawn really wasn't playing around. However, he didn't let her go just yet. "Are you _really _mad at me?" She stopped fidgeting under him and turned her head to avoid his gaze. "Why are you mad at me?" She still didn't say anything but he saw a tear roll down her cheek. "Dawn, why are you crying?"

"You cheated on me, Ash," she whispered softly, but Ash was able to make out what she said.

"What?" he asked, his voice hinting his confusion.

Dawn finally turned her head to look at Ash and just by the sight of his face, she could see he really didn't know what was she was talking about. "Who was that girl you were sitting with on the couch?" she asked, hoping to clear his confusion up.

Ash was still confused and his features were displaying it. "What girl? What-" suddenly he stopped himself, understanding what she was talking about. "Oooh..." The boy couldn't help

but chuckle. Looks like the plan worked. He quickly ended his chuckles and began explaining when he saw the look on Dawn's face. "What you saw...wasn't real."

"What do you mean it wasn't real? Ash, I saw-"

"You saw decoys of Gary, Drew, Kai, and me...sitting with _other_ girls," Ash explained.

Dawn's mouth formed into an "O" shape as she gazed at her smirking boyfriend. "So...you mean...that was supposed to be a joke?" Dawn glared at Ash as he began laughing as a response to her question. "Ash Ketchum, that was not funny!" The bluenette frowned.

"Oh, come on Dawn," Ash laughed. "You have to admit that was kind of funny." Dawn rolled her eyes and Ash simply smirked at her reaction. "You know you wanna laugh." He smiled softly at her, one of his cute, innocent smiles that she loved. A light blush dusted her cheeks and the sides of her mouth twitched up, but she kept herself from smiling. Ash noticed this and did what he always did to get her to smile.

Still holding her down, he nuzzled her neck playfully, tickling her in the process and she smiled instantly, as well as bursting into a fit of giggles. He knew exactly where her tickle spot was located on her neck, much to her dismay. All she could do was laugh and attempt to move under him.

Ash stopped his assault and smile in amusement. "I love that you're so sensitive on your neck. It makes it fun for me."

"I don't," the bluenette responded, sticking her tongue out teasingly at her boyfriend. "Because you have control over me." She smile on Ash's face widened after she said that. It was something he liked to hear.

"And that's why it makes it fun for me." Dawn rolled her eyes at Ash. "Don't roll your eyes at me, unless you're mad at me," Ash teased playfully.

Dawn rolled her eyes at him again just to tease him. "I am mad at you."

"No, you're not."

"Yes I am."

"Why?"

"Because my hair is messed up and it's your fault," Dawn stated bluntly.

"You said you weren't mad at me for that! You can't change your mind like that!" Ash whined.

Dawn giggled at her boyfriend's child-like behavior, winked, and said, "I just did." Dawn began laughing as she watched Ash's cheeks blush from her wink. She loved how her winks affected him, even after _almost _two years. "I'm on the bottom, but I still have some control over you, Ash?" Dawn asked, teasing him.

He chuckled and licked his lips before saying, "Yeah...but not for long." In one swift motion, Ash picked himself up off Dawn, bringing her up with him so she was in his lap, and sat with his back against the tree trunk.

Before Dawn could say anything, he wrapped his arms around her, and began kissing her. He felt her smile against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, running her hands through his hair and kissing him back slowly.

He reluctantly pulled away from her lips, earning a groan from Dawn in protest, and began kissing her neck softly, causing her to giggle. He smiled against her skin and began sucking on her neck softly. Leaning her head to the side to give Ash more access to her neck, she moaned quietly as he continue his vampire act on her. Ash smiled against her again, knowing he was in control again - just how it should be, to him.

_"Shit! Run, Drew!"_

_"Retreat, retreat!"_

Dawn burst out laughing when she heard two familiar voices shout. "Ash, wait," Dawn said. Ash groaned and stopped what he was doing to look up at her. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, Drew and Kai," Ash said in a dull tone before trying to go back to her neck, only to be stopped by her again. "Why are you stopping me? I was just getting into it." Ash whined.

"Because, I want to know what's going on," Dawn said in an amused tone.

"Why? They're idiots."

"Lets just go, Ash." She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "We can pick up later." Dawn smiled and stood up. Ash groaned inwardly and stood up also. Ash picked up his water gun and walked alongside Dawn in the direction of the shouts.

_**...**_

May ran to the front of the yard. Unfortunately, she had _two_ boys chasing and squirting water at her. However, unlike Dawn or Leaf, she was enjoying this. And she wasn't mad at her boyfriend for what she witnessed in Gary's living room. She knew something was up as soon as she saw "them." She knew they would never cheat on them, plus they weren't blinking which gave it away.

She wondered why Dawn and Leaf hadn't had the same mind set as her in that situation.

May continued to run around the yard, laughing as the boys shot her with water. "You two won't catch me!" She shouted over her shoulder, dodging water in the process.

Drew and Kai exchanged looks with each other, smirked, and nodded their heads. Kai and Drew split in different directions. Drew went left, while Kai went right.

May was unaware of their plan until she saw Kai running directly towards her with his water gun and a smile on his face. She quickly, but barely evaded the water Kai shot at her and ran in the opposite direction. She stopped instantly when she saw Drew running towards her.

The brunette looked to her right and left and backed up slowly. "Hey, you're not supposed to trap me like this!" May argued playfully.

"No one said we couldn't," came Drew's reply as he edged closer to her with his water gun ready.

"We caught you now," Kai teased, squirting water at her leg.

As May walked backwards, eyeing both boys carefully, trying to watch for their fingers on the water gun's trigger, she stumbled a bit when the back of her leg hit something. She turned around to see what she bumped into and a sly smile formed on her face.

"Oh, no." She heard her Drew say.

May picked up a few water balloons from the large bucket and turned back to them with a challenging smirk on her face. She toyed with a green water balloon in her hand as she said, "Now, I'm not defenseless."

Kai gulped. "I thought Ash was supposed to hide those!"

"He was!" Drew replied, watching May toss the small green water balloon up and down in her hand.

"Why do you two look so scared?" the brunette asked teasingly. "Scared of a little Water?" She threw the water balloon in between the boys and they dashed away from it, not wanting to be hit with the balloon.

"We're _not_ scared," Kai said, walking slowly back to his current spot. "We just don't want to mess up our hair!"

"Yeah! My hair is too sexy to get wet!" Drew said, slowly running his hand through his soft grass colored hair.

"So~ you're playing with water, but you don't want to get your hair wet?" May asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow at them and giving both boys an incredulous look. The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes at the boys and threw another balloon at them just to scare them.

"Shit! Run, Drew!" Kai shouted, running away from the scene in fear of getting his _hair_ wet.

"Retreat, retreat!" The green-haired boy yelled as he ran close behind Kai also in fear of getting his hair wet.

May laughed at the two boys' childish behavior and scooped up more water balloons. While she chased after them, she couldn't understand why they were even running away from her in the first place. With the super soaker water guns, they obviously had the upper hand over her, plus her aim was pretty bad.

However, she simply brushed away the thought. She liked it better this way anyways. Having _two _boys run away from a girl with water balloons was not something that happened everyday so why not enjoy it?

May hurled a small, black water balloon at Kai. However, because of her horrible aim, it went over his head instead of _hitting_ his head and landed on the grass, popping when the pieces of sharp grass impaled into the thin rubber.

Kai laughed hysterically as he watched the water balloon fly _over _his head. "You have the aim of a blind Blaziken." Drew laughed at the boy's witty comment and gave him a quick high five without stopping.

May sneered at Kai's idiotic remark. She held one more water balloon in her hand. As soon as she was about to throw it, the water-filled balloon rolled off out her hand and _splashed _down by her feet when it landed on the spiky grass. May groaned in frustration. She was sure she was going to hit one of the boys directly with that balloon. She ceased running and shouted to Drew and Kai, "You're lucky I don't have any more!"

Hearing May, Drew and Kai stopped running and looked at each other with smiles on their faces while they slowed their breathing down. May had no idea why the boys were smiling, but she simply ignored their taunting smiles as she walked over to them.

Ash and Dawn walked around the corner of the house and walked over to Drew and Kai who were currently trying to get their breathing back to normal. Ash raised and eyebrow at the two with an amused smirk on his face, remembering their yelling. "What happened to you two?"

"They were scared of a little water," May answered for them, smirking as she glanced at her boyfriend and Kai. Finally, able to catch their breath again after being chased around, both glared at May playfully.

"What do you mean they were scared of water?" Dawn asked with amusement clear in her voice.

Before May could respond, Drew said, "We weren't scared of water..." The green-haired boy trailed off his sentence and flipped his hair. "We just didn't want to get our hair wet."

"You agree to play with water, but you don't want to get wet?" Ash asked incredulously forcing himself not to break his skeptical expression by laughing.

"Same thing I asked," May said.

"What was all the shouting about?" Gary asked, walking up to the group with Leaf beside him and interrupting the group's current conversation.

Ash noticed Gary's clothes stuck to him and were damp. His lips curved into a goofy grin. Completely ignoring the brown-haired boy's question, Ash asked, "Gary why _you_ are wet? Leaf is supposed to be wet!"

The brown-haired girl smirked and crossed her arms in a cocky fashion. "Plan backfired. He couldn't keep his gun."

"Damn," Kai said, turning to look at Gary so he could see the smirk plastered on his face. "What happened Gary? You get punk'd?"

"No!" Gary said as if he was child disobeying his parents. "I punk'd her!"

"Don't lie!" Leaf said.

"I'm not-" Gary turned his head and his eyes widened, stopping his sentence when Leaf held a mini water gun in his face. "Woah, okay, I'm sorry."

Leaf grinned at the surprised expression on her boyfriend's face. "Yeah~ I thought you might say that." Leaf smiled in victory over her boyfriend and put the mini water gun down.

Drew laughed hysterically and said, "Guess we know who wears the pants in your relationship." This caused everyone to break out into laughter except Gary who just looked annoyed.

"_You_ just got owned by your _girlfriend_," Ash said in between laughs.

"Whatever," Gary grumbled. He just decided to ignore them for now. "How did you even get that? It was in my-"

"Pocket?" Leaf finished for him with a smirk on her face. "I found it while we were kissing."

"Ooooh~" Kai bellowed as if someone had just gotten a good hit on someone in a _"punch on."_ "How many times did she punk you Gary?" The boy teased. Again, everyone excluding Gary broke into laughter.

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Gary said sarcastically, mocking their laughter. "Laugh all you want. I don't even know why you're standing here laughing anyways. This game isn't over." And as soon as he said that, Gary quickly lifted up his shirt, pulled out a medium sized water gun and began squirting all his friends with water. "Good thing you didn't find this one Leaf!"

"Wait a minute!" Kai said, stopping Gary from shooting anyone else with water. "You're not supposed to be attacking us! We're supposed to be a Four Man team" - he heard one of the girls snort behind him after he said 'Four _Men_' - "getting the_ girls._"

"Oh yeah," Gary said, looking at Kai dumbly. "Get-"

"I'm out of water!" Ash complained, cutting Gary off. "Damn. Where's the water hose?"

"I'm out too," Drew and Kai said at the same time.

Gary palmed his face and shook his head. "I gave all of you extra water guns. Where are they?"

"We didn't have time to fill them, because the girls came. They're still by the water hose," Kai explained.

"Oh yeah, go refill th- where are they going?" Gary asked, seeing the three girls running off and giggling.

Drew, Kai, and Ash whipped their heads around and saw the girls running somewhere. "The water balloons!" Kai said in panic.

"How do they know where they are?"

Ash chuckled sheepishly, while running his had through his hair. "My bad."

Gary palmed his face again, sighing in exasperation and said, "Idiot. You forgot to hide them?"

"We don't have time to argue right now douche bags," Drew said before Ash could reply. "We have to stop them!"

All four boys looked at each other and took off running in the direction the girls went. What was supposed to be a game of innocent fun, now turned into a game of war. Or at least it seemed like it.

The boys ran into the front yard and stopped to look around. No sign of the girls.

"Where'd they go?" Ash asked, keeping a look out for any sign of them.

Drew walked over to the bucket that held the multi-colored water balloons. "I don't know, but where ever they ran off to, they took _all_ the water balloons with them."

"All of them?" Gary asked, his eyes widening in surprise. The green-hair haired boy nodded slowly in response. "Should we split up and look for them?"

"No!" Kai said, shaking his head vigorously. "Two of us might get jumped by them if we do that."

"Good point," Ash said.

"And I'm not risking getting my hair wet," Drew said, flipping it and smirking.

"Shut up Drew," Ash said nudging his self-obsessed friend. "Your hair is bound to get wet anyway. They have the water balloons."

"Or maybe not. They're girls. They have no aim," Kai said, smiling.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. I don't know about Dawn or May, but Leaf has a good arm," said the brunette-haired boy.

"Never under esti-" Drew's sentence was cut short when he felt water shoot at his leg. "What the hell, Gary? Why'd you shoot me with water?" He asked, glaring at the boy. "Save that for the girls when we find them."

"What are you talking about?" Gary asked, staring in confusion at his green-haired friend.

"_You_ squirted the back of my leg with water!"

"Oh yeah," Gary said in a sarcastic tone of voice while rolling his eyes. "I can really squirt the back of your leg while I'm standing _directly in front of you."_

"Obviously you can since you did it!"

As soon as Drew's sentence came out his mouth, all four boys heard giggling. They looked around, but they couldn't pinpoint exactly where the girly laughter was coming from.

"Maybe it wasn't Gary..." Ash said.

"I told you!" Gary shouted. "It was the girls!"

"Whatever," Drew mumbled, shooting a glare in Gary's direction.

"So that means...the girls are somewhere over there." Ash pointed in the direction behind Drew, causing him to turn around and strain his eyes in the dark to see if he could spot the girls.

Gary readied his water gun and began walking slowly in the direction Ash pointed in. "Let's go."

All the boys began walking in the direction they believed the girls were except Kai. "Come on and stop being a wimp," Ash said, pushing Kai playfully, forcing him to start walking.

"They're not even over here!" Gary said, stopping abruptly when he realized he was about to run into the side of his house. "But they definitely took the extra water guns."

"Damn," Kai said. "Well, while we're at the hose, I'm feeling mines up. I'm not going down without a fight."

"Alright, you three fill up your water guns and I'll keep look out," Gary said, proudly. He liked the feeling of being in charge.

**...**

"We left that spot just in time," May said giggling as she looked at the four boys from her, Leaf, and Dawn's current position.

"I know," Dawn agreed. "Look at Gary. He looks so funny standing there, looking around." May and Leaf broke out into quiet giggles as they watched Gary. He actually looked as if he was lost in a maze and couldn't find his way out.

"We should attack now while Drew, Ash, and Kai are filling up their water guns. That way it's pretty much only Gary," Leaf explained as she continued to watch the boys.

"Sounds good," May and Dawn answered in unison.

"Okay, you two have your water balloons and a water gun?"

"Yup," the two girls said at the same time once again.

"Okay, and I'm ready too. Let's go." Leaf was the first to move from their hiding spot, which was behind a bush, and then May, and Dawn followed behind her. Leaf broke out into a run followed by May and Dawn, and began running towards the boys.

Gary's eyes widened when he saw all three girls running straight towards him. "The girls are coming!" Gary said frantically, turning around.

Drew, Ash, and Kai finished filling up their water guns and quickly stood up, facing the girls. Before they could say anything, Dawn, Leaf, and May began shooting the boys with water and throwing water balloons at them, causing them to make a hasty retreat.

However, they weren't getting away that easily. Laughing, the girls chased them while they threw water balloons at them.

"Bad aim!" Gary yelled over his shoulder as he ducked a thrown water balloon from one of the girls. But as soon as he said that, another water balloon was thrown at him and it hit him right on the back of his head. He was sure Leaf threw that one.

"Fuck this," Ash said, stopping. He turned around and began squirting water at the girls. "I'm not going down without a fight," he said dodging three water balloons at the same time.

"You're very brave Ash," May said smirking at him.

"They got Ash!" Drew said, looking over his shoulder. "I'm going back." The green-haired boy sprinted back over to Ash's side and began helping.

"He's getting owned!" Kai said laughing. "I'm going back too!" He readied his water gun and begun running back to help Ash.

"Me too. Why the hell are we running from them in the first place?" Gary asked, mentally slapping himself.

The seven teens continued their huge water fight for at least forty-five minutes. Boys against girls. They chased each other around the yard spraying each other with water and throwing water balloons. Kai was able to steal a few from the girls. Eventually, Ash pulled out the water hose, filled the bucket with water, and dumped it on Leaf. Leaf would have killed him if Gary hadn't stopped her from chasing him. However, Ash didn't mind because he thought the whole thing was funny. Her reaction was hilarious and he imitated it as she chased him, which only angered her.

For payback for dumping water on her friend, Dawn chased Ash with the water hose; however, it was only for a few minutes because Kai took the water hose from her and began chasing _her _with the hose. Kai ran Dawn right into Ash's arms, which was perfect because he was able to take her water gun and use _his_ water gun as well as hers to squirt her with water.

Seeing Dawn being chased by two enemies without her water gun, she tried to help her but Drew and Gary quickly stopped her. However, Leaf helped her defend herself against the two boys.

While the teens were engaged in their water fight, nothing was on their mind. All the worries, friendship and relationship problems were out of their minds. Right now, they were all just friends having fun.

The way it _should_ be.

**...**

The seven teens walked into Gary's house, laughing uncontrollably from their recent water fight. It had been the most fun they'd had together in a long time. And they _all_ needed it.

In a way, it seemed to have refreshed them all. Let things go and forget about what's going on.

For now, anyways.

Ready to get off her feet and catch her breath, Dawn was about to sit on the couch, but quickly jumped back, realizing the "decoys" were still on the couch. She'd forgotten all about them. "Uuh..." The bluenette looked at the decoys and back at the boys, not knowing exactly what to say.

In fact, everyone forgot about them. May and Leaf walked over to the eight figures on the couch for a closer look.

"Explain?" May asked, cocking her eyebrow skeptically as she looked at the imitated people. The boys all looked at each other, asking with their eyes who were going to explain this to the girls.

"Well..." Drew said, speaking first. "You three have been asking us all week what we" - He gestured with his hand him, Gary, Ash, and Kai - "were doing for Kai's birthday. And of course we didn't tell you," he said smirking. "To be honest, we couldn't think of anything to do...so we came up with a plan."

"I _knew_ you would sneak over here to spy on us to see what we were up too," Gary explained with a knowing smile on his face. Now it was his turn to talk. "Leaf has that kind of mind to do that because she doesn't trust me," the brunette said looking directly at his girlfriend. Right before she could say something, he began again. "But we won't talk about that right now. So I knew she would drag you two along since you were obviously with her. And you weren't doing anything anyways, so it was better than nothing."

"How did you know that?" Dawn asked, with a shocked expression on her face. How could he possibly know they were doing nothing at Leaf's house?

Gary shrugged his shoulders simply with a smirk on his face. "I just knew. Anyways, since we knew you three were going to spy on us to see what we were doing, we came up with an awesome plan."

Now it was the raven-haired boy's turn to speak. "We actually had two plans. _Plan A:_ _Make Girlfriends Jealous._ And it worked," Ash added, chuckling.

"Not on me!" May interjected. "I knew something was up when I saw it in the window. I didn't fall for it."

"We'll talk about that later too," Drew told her. May rolled her eyes playfully at him in which he just blew her a kiss in response to her eye rolling.

"_Anyway,_ while you girls were freaking out, we were able to sneak up on you. _Plan A_ was mainly used as a distraction while we finished filling up our water guns and balloons, but also revenge for spying on us in the first place. And that's when we commenced _Plan B:_ _Water Fight_. Plan B was the main plan because we know how much you three _hate_ getting your hair wet. So why not get you back by messing up something you love?"

"Exactly," Kai said, continuing from where Ash left off. "However, _Plan B_ didn't go exactly as planned. You girls weren't supposed to fight us back with our own weapons. We weren't supposed to have an actual water fight."

"We're awesome!" May said, laughing. "We messed up you guys' plan!"

"And we would've gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids!" Drew said, reciting his favorite line from a certain show he watched as a kid. Gary and Ash turned to look at the green-haired boy with strange looks on their faces while Kai just stared at Drew blankly. "What?"

"Really?" Ash said.

"Scooby Doo? Really Drew?" Gary asked, giving his best friend a dumb look.

Drew simply shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "Scooby Doo is awesome. And I've been waiting for the perfect moment to say that...and that was definitely the moment."

"So yeah, that was our plans. It was revenge to get you back for spying on us," Kai said, ending the whole "Scooby doo" thing and going back on topic.

"Gary, why is your..._thing_, the only one staring at the girl's chest?" Leaf asked, eyeing her boyfriend furiously. Gary ignored her question and broke out laughing along with Drew, Ash, and Kai. Leaf rolled her eyes. Leave it to her boyfriend to be the most perverted one.

"You know, you could have used prettier girls if you wanted to make us jealous," Dawn said examining the fake person sitting next to artificial Ash. "Her eyes are way~ to close together."

"And you could have made them at least _blink_," May added, rolling her eyes.

"It doesn't matter. We were able to make two out of three jealous," Ash said.

"Whatever. What are these things made out of anyways?" She asked as she bent down for a better view. She put her hand on the decoy of Drew but she snapped it back quickly when it went straight through his face. "What the- What are these things made from? What is this?"

Gary smirked and walked over to the wall and flipped a switch that apparently controlled the artificial human beings because they disappeared. "Hologram projector. My gramps built it and I tested it out. Works like a charm doesn't it?"

"Y-yeah," Dawn answered. "It looked very, _very_ real. I thought holograms were see through? Those weren't see through! And how did you even get programmed in the projector?"

"Gramps is a great inventor," was Gary's answer. He winked at the bluenette causing her to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Something tells me Professor Oak doesn't know you used it," Leaf said, eyeing her boyfriend curiously.

"He doesn't, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"I can't believe you idiots made _plans_ to get back at us," May said laughing. "They didn't even work!"

"They did work!" Ash objected.

"On them," May gestured with her hand towards Dawn and Leaf who stuck their tongue out at her. "But not me.

"Anyways," Leaf said ironically, interrupting Ash and May. "We should probably get going. I need to get out of these wet clothes." The brunette saw her boyfriend's face light up at those words. She scowled and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we _definitely _need to get out of here."

"Wait," Gary interjected, stopping the girls from leaving. "I thought you were staying with _us_ tonight?" He asked, looking directly at the lighter haired brunette with a smirk present on his features. "We were planning to have fun."

"You and your sexual innuendoes," Leaf said, rolling her eyes. "We don't have anything."

"Exactly," Dawn added.

"Yes you do. Remember you three spent the night here and you decided to leave your stuff here for other times such as this one?"

"Ooh yeah~ I remember that," Drew said, smiling as he thought back to that particular night.

"Didn't we leave pajamas here?" May asked when the memory came back to her.

"Yeah, you left _everything_." Gary said nodding his head. "And it's clean, I had the maid wash your stuff yesterday."

"So you might as well stay." Kai grinned innocently as he said that.

The bluenette folded her arms across her chest and a smile play around her lips. "You guys just have it all planned out, huh?"

"Right," the raven-haired boy said before he walked over to Dawn and put his around her. "We knew you'd agree."

"Just as _planned_," Drew said with a devious smile on his face.

"We didn't agree to stay _yet_," Leaf reminded the boys.

"But we _know_ you _want_ to," Drew retorted, flipping his hair in an arrogant manner.

"And you can't resist us," Gary said with a knowing smirk clear on his face. "Especially Leaf, she can't resist me." The brown-haired boy winked at his blushing girlfriend.

Leaf furrowed her eyebrows and glared at the boy. "I'm getting tired of you," she growled at her boyfriend.

A casual knowing grin spread across Gary's face. "Then let me put you to _sleep_, baby," he purred seductively. Ash, Drew, and Kai snickered at his little joke.

"Shut up!" The lighter haired brunette rolled her eyes annoyingly at her obnoxious boyfriend. "We're leaving."

"I'm just playing," Gary said quickly as he reached for Leaf's hand and pulled her back to him.

"You _play_ too much." Gary wiggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively. "Gary!" Leaf exclaimed, pushing him back.

"I was just kidding, chill," Gary laughed. "You know I like messing with you."

"I know," Leaf said. Flush invaded her soft cheeks.

"Ugh~" Dawn groaned suddenly. "I _really_ need to shower. I feel so dirty! Are we staying or not?"

Gary eyed Leaf as well as everyone else in the room as if that was the most important question in the world and her answer would determine their fate. "Fine," Leaf breathed out.

"Great! Gary where's my stuff?" Dawn asked hurriedly.

"Check the guest room. I just put all you girls' stuff in there. I didn't know whose was whose." Dawn quickly made her way upstairs. She couldn't wait to get in the shower.

"I'm taking a shower too," Leaf said.

"I'm coming with you," Gary said quietly, following behind her.

"_No you're not!"_

Gary stopped dead in his tracks. "You heard that?"

"Noo~" Leaf replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes and walking up the steps.

"I guess I'll go take mines too," May said.

"Watch and learn Gary. You have to be smooth with it," Drew whispered to the brunette. Drew trailed behind his girlfriend. Right as Drew was about to say something to May she turned around and said,

"You're not getting lucky either." She kissed his cheek and giggled before heading upstairs.

"Way to be smooth," Kai said sarcastically as he watched Drew pout and walk back to the couch.

"Whatever," Drew muttered. "Your turn, Ash."

"What?" Ash threw his friend a surprised face. "No way! I'll get slapped if I asked. I'm not _that_ stupid." The boys burst out laughing.

"Looks like she has you in check, Ashy boy," Gary said laughing. Ash sneered at the stupid nickname. Ash heard Dawn's laugh from upstairs.

"It sounds like Dawn agrees," Kai said after he heard Dawn giggle.

"She does not!" Ash argued.

"Sure she doesn't…," the green-haired boy said in a monotone as he chuckled.

"Wait…are they showering together?" Kai asked, his eyes wide as the thought hit him.

"Noo~" Gary said eyeing the boy amused as he thought about that image for a quick second. "There are three bathrooms upstairs."

"Oh…well that explains it."

"Just imagine that though…the three of them showering together," Drew said, looking at the three other boys.

"Damn…" Gary said with a wide smile on his face. "That'd be awesome."

"Damn right," Ash agreed with the brunette.

"We have such sick perverts as boyfriends," came May's voice as she passed the stairs.

"We're not perverts!" Ash yelled loud enough so the girls could hear.

"Yeah, it's called _imagination_," Gary added, shouting loud and obnoxiously.

"Whatever," was the response the boys received back and a loud door slam and followed closely by the water running.

"I call shower after whoever finishes first," Kai said ironically, raising his hand as if he was a young student in class waiting anxiously to be picked on by the teacher.

"Na, it's whoever gets there first," Ash said smoothly with a smirk on his face.

"Which is going to be me!" The brunette boy said with a cocky smile curving his lips.

"I don't know why you guys are talking about this now anyways," Drew said calmly with a flick of his green hair. "You know they take _forever_ in the shower."

"He has a point," Kai agreed, nodding his head.

"Ugh~ so what do we while we wait for them to get out?" The raven-haired boy asked, throwing his head back on couch in complete boredom.

"Watch TV?" Gary suggested, raising an unsure eyebrow.

However, the boys simply shrugged their shoulders. They didn't care what they did as long as they were occupied by something to past time while the girls took their extremely long showers.

It would definitely be a while.

**x-x-x**

A few hours layer, after _everyone_ (the boys) were able to finally shower, eat which resulted in a miniature food fight and Gary saying he would blame the maid for the mess, they were all in the living room, occupying couches, casually watching TV.

Three couches were placed in the vast room. One was in the center, in front of a glass coffee table and directly in front of the forty-two inch flat screen TV that hung on the wall. It was the best sitting couch to watch TV while the other two couches was placed a few feet away from the center couched, making those the not so best seats to look at the TV.

Gary and Leaf were occupying the couch on the left side of the centered couch. Gary was lying down on the tan colored sofa with Leaf snuggled comfortably on top of him, with his arm wrapped securely around her. Gary stroked her light brown hair gently with a barely noticeable smile on his face. Leaf simply watched whatever was showing on TV, enjoying the warmth emitting from Gary's body.

May and Drew were sitting on the couch located on the left side of the centered couch. Drew was sitting up right. May had her knees close to her chest and she was cuddled close to Drew, with her arm wrapped around his lower torso and her head resting comfortably on his chest. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. They seemed to be lost in their own conversation. And whatever they were talking about, May's cheeks were flushed.

Ash and Dawn took the couch in the middle. However, they _were not_ alone on the couch. Kai was sitting beside them, but of course with distance between him and the couple. The centered couch was the biggest out of the three couches, so him on the couch with Ash and Dawn was fine. Ash was also sitting up straight. Dawn sat cozily in Ash's lap, her back pressed to his chest. His arms were snaked around her waist securely. Her fingers lightly glided back and forth across his forearm. They were both enjoying the closeness.

However, Dawn couldn't help but steal furtive glances at Kai. She looked at him from the corner of her eye every few seconds.

"What. _The hell_. Are we watching?" Gary asked dramatically. Despite the fact that him plus everyone else had been vaguely watching TV, they were just now realizing what was showing on the flat screen.

Various bright colored, animated characters ran across the TV screen, laughing, having the times of their lives. It was obviously a little kid's show.

How and why it was on the television – why it was even on the toddler channel – was extremely beyond Gary.

"I was waiting for someone to say something," Kai beamed amused by the fact they were watching a kid's show without even realizing it.

"Put a movie in," May said, her voice plain.

"Yeah, let's watch a movie," Leaf whispered solemnly as she looked up at her boyfriend through her long, perfectly curved eyelashes.

Gary studied her gorgeous face for a moment before he reluctantly dragged his eyes away and focused them directly on the ceiling. "Na, that's boring. We need to do something _fun_."

"We don't have the same definition of _fun_ as you. Gary," the bluenette said with disgust flashing across her face.

"Damn, why do you three always think I'm referring to _that?"_ Gary asked with an unimpressed facial expression.

"Because you _usually_ do." May answered the brunette boy with her eyes rolling annoyingly at the boy.

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!" Leaf said, sitting up and looking at him.

"No, I don't!" He exclaimed again.

"_Yes, you do!"_ All three girls said to him in harmony, with much emphasis on the three words.

"Wh- They're just as bad!" Gary argued, referring to his three best friends.

The three girls looked at Kai, Ash, and Drew. They each gave them guiltless grins. "Na," the three girls said together.

"Whatever," Gary said, giving up in defeat. He sat up, shifting Leaf onto his lap. "Anyways, I have an awesome idea! I know what we can do to have fun."

"What?" Ash asked, curiosity playing in his voice.

"Play hide and seek," the brown-haired boy said, smirking.

"What are we, _five?"_ May asked rolling her eyes at the ironic idea.

"Yeah, aren't we a little too old to be playing hide and seek?" Dawn asked, staring at Gary with an incredulous stare.

"You're never too old for hide and seek," Gary stated with a triumphant smile displayed confidently on his face.

"I'm in!" Kai and Drew cried simultaneously. They looked at each other and chuckled at their synchronized outburst.

"You don't think it's _childish?"_ Dawn asked the two boys.

"No, like Gary said _you're never too old to play hide and seek,"_ Kai restated Gary's statement, smiling at the bluenette to which she simply rolled her eyes.

"Exactly," Ash said, resting his chin on Dawn's shoulder. "And it'll be fun."

"I guess you're right. It would be fun. Alright, I'll play too!" Dawn said, getting excited.

"Me too!" May piped in.

"If you two are playing then I will too," Leaf said.

Gary grinned miraculously in content. "Everyone's playing…good. You can hide anywhere in the house, no restrictions. You can even hide somewhere outside, but it has to be in the backyard. The base is this couch," Gary explained.

"Who's it?" Drew asked, looking around.

"Ash," Gary responded, looking directing at his raven-haired friend.

"What?" Ash said in surprise, his eyes wide. "Why do I have to be it first!"

"Because you forgot to hide the water balloons, dipshit."

"That was an accident! I don't want to be it first!"

Dawn laughed at her defensive boyfriend, stood up from his lap, and turned to face him. She bent down so her face was in front of his and said, "Oh well~ nothing you can do now." She giggled and gave him a quick peck on the lips before she patted his head as if he was a little puppy. "You'll be okay, Ashy boy."

"Don't call me that," Ash groaned at the use of his stupid nickname.

"Too late," Dawn giggled as she stood up straight.

"Ash, count to one-hundred-"

"With both of your eyes _closed,"_ Leaf added, dragging on the word 'closed.' She'd had past experiences with people who cheated by counting with one eye open.

"I know, I know," Ash muttered. He wasn't too thrilled about being it first.

"And you can't hang around the base – that's cheating," Gary finished. "Now let's play."

Everyone excluding Ash stood up and began making a quick exit from the living room. As Gary slipped out the living room with Leaf behind him, he switched the light off. Now the house was completely dark which would make it harder for Ash to find them and the dark made the game much more fun.

Ash began counting out loud, "1…2…3…4…5…6…7"

"We're playing in the dark?" Ash heard Leaf ask quietly.

"Yeah, it's the best way to _play,"_ Gary answered.

"I guess it is…_for you_," Ash heard Leaf grumble.

He couldn't help but chuckle when he heard Gary huff in annoyance.

"Here we go _again_. I wasn't thinking of it like that."

Ash wasn't able to hear Leaf's reply for they ventured out of the living room and somewhere else. He tried to make out where their footsteps led, but luck was not on his side.

"22…23…24…25…26…27…28…"

**…**

"We're playing in the dark?" Leaf asked quietly, her voice incredulous as her eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden darkness.

"Yeah," Gary replied grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him. "It's the best way to _play_."

Leaf rolled her brown eyes in the dark. "I guess it is..._for you,_" Leaf grumbled.

The brown-haired boy huffed in annoyance. Why did she always have _assume _he was talking about something negative? "Here we go again. I wasn't thinking of it like that."

"Sure you weren't," the girl said sarcastically. Gary tugged her gently up the stairs. Good thing he was there because her eyesight is not good in the dark and she would have ran into something by now. "Where are we hiding?" She whispered as Gary led her down the hallway.

"In here," Gary whispered as they entered a room.

Cold tiles hit the bottom of Leaf's bare feet. "Are we in the bathroom?"

"Yeah." Gary slowly and quietly closed the door, but not all the way. He left it cracked - if he closed the door, it would be obvious that someone was hiding in the bathroom and Ash would definitely check the bathroom.

"Don't you think he's going to check in here, Gary?"

"He might...but he's not smart enough to check the bathtub." The overconfident boy still held onto his girlfriend's hand and led her to the bathtub. Gary stepped in the bathtub, but Leaf jerked her hand away from him.

"I'm not hiding in there!" she hissed quietly. "Who the hell hides in a bathtub?"

"I do, obviously." Gary rolled his eyes even though she was unable to see it. "And it's an awesome hiding place. You won't believe how many times I hid in here and never got found."

Leaf crossed her arms stubbornly. "You're right, _I won't_."

"Just get in and stop being defiant."

"No! I refuse to hide in a bathtub. That's stupid. Why couldn't we just hide in your room or something?"

"I was thinking about that...but you would've just called me a perv_ again._"

She thought for a moment before she responded. "Hm...maybe you're right. But it would've been better than a freaking _bathtub_."

"You complain a lot," Gary said, sighing.

"You perv on me a lot. We're even," she countered quickly.

The brunette couldn't help but laugh at his girlfriend's comeback. "I'm your _boyfriend. _It's my job," he smirked. "You know you like it when I do it."

Leaf was glad it was dark because Gary was making her blush like crazy and he didn't even know it, which was a good thing. He didn't need to know. It would only boost his cockiness. "No, I don't. It's annoying."

"Nope, I believe you like it," Gary teased her.

"No, I don't," Leaf said, trying to sound as bold as possible. She had no problem with this until after she started blushing. _Damn it, Gary_, she thought to herself. Why must he have this affect on her? But of course she couldn't let him know that.

"Than why are you blushing?" he asked slyly.

Leaf's eyes widened. How did he know she was blushing? Was she that obvious? "I'm not blushing!" She tried to sound convincing, but the way her voice squeaked at the end, she was sure it didn't fool him.

Gary smiled and put his hands on her shoulders, which forced her to take a few steps until she reached the outside of the bathtub. Their faces were only a few inches apart from each other. "I know you more than you think," he whispered. "Plus, you're obvious."

"I didn't think I was..."

"But you were," he chuckled lightly. "I told you...you like it."

"Whatever," she whispered. Leaf suddenly closed the few inches between them and kissed him softly on the mouth. She wasn't sure what drove her to kiss him all of a sudden, but of course, she didn't care. She wanted to kiss him. _Really _wanted to.

And Gary knew this. He knew how she _really_ was no matter how much she tried to ignore or reject him. She liked the way he acted and they both knew it. Gary tried not to smirk as he kissed her. His girlfriend was in denial...but he would tease her about that later.

Gary slid his hands from her shoulders down her arms and then her hands. Leaf laced their fingers and Gary tugged her, forcing Leaf to step over into the bathtub. She backed him into the tile wall without breaking the kiss.

"READY OR NOT HERE I COME!" came Ash's loud voice from downstairs. Leaf and Gary jumped in surprise, breaking the passionate kiss and groaning at the loss of each other's lips.

Gary tried to kiss her again, but she stopped him when she placed her hand on his chest. She listened intently. "I think Ash is coming," she whispered. Gary didn't respond, he listened for any signs of Ash.

And sure enough, Ash's loud footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. He was obviously stomping up the stairs on purpose.

"Shit, close the shower curtain." Leaf quickly grasped the thin, plastic material and pulled it to the other end of the shower, a little too noisy. "Wait, leave it open a little so it won't be obvious."

Leaf rolled her eyes and opened the curtain a little. "Does that even matter?"

"Sshh...I hear him," Gary whispered. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to the farthest left of the bathtub. This was quite amusing to them both, but they held in their laugh...at least until the coast was clear.

Suddenly, the door flew open and the light flicked on. Leaf and Gary stood as still as much they possibly could, to the point where they held their breath.

Ash had a smile on his face as he flung the door open to the bathroom, only for it to disappear as quickly as it came. He was sure someone would be in the bathroom...

The closed door looked suspicious. He gazed around the bathroom, his eyes stopping on the halfway closed curtain a few times. However, he paid no mind to that. _Who would hide in a bathtub? _Was his thought process.

Giving it one last search, his mouth twisted into a frown and he walked out the bathroom, turning the light off while mumbling something.

Gary and Leaf stayed quiet and remained in their position until they heard Ash stomp annoyingly down the stairs again.

Leaf was the first to breathe and let out a giggle. "That was kind of scary."

"I know...for a second I thought the bone head would check the bathtub. Good thing he didn't though, because one of us would be tagged."

"You. I'd hurry and put you in front of me so he could get you first."

"I would just run past him and leave you here," Gary said, laughing.

She turned around so she was facing him and snaked her arms around his neck and whispered, "How would you run if I wouldn't let you go?"

Gary smiled down at her before leaning down and saying against her lips, "I guess I'd be stuck with you." And he kissed her. "And I wouldn't mind at all."

Leaf smiled against his lips as they kissed. It felt so good to kiss him, even though they were doing it in a bizarre place right now.

Gary pulled away purposely and looked at her. "We should probably...go to base now?" he asked, sounding innocent. He didn't want to, however, and he already knew she didn't want to either, but he just wanted to hear her protest.

Leaf pressed her body against his, so he couldn't go anywhere even though he wasn't planning on to anyways. "No...we can stay here for a little while longer. No one has to know." A smiled formed on her lips.

"Ooh~ really?" he asked. One of his eyebrows raised in surprise - _real_ surprise. He wasn't expecting her to say _that much. _

Leaf knew he had a smirk on his face. She couldn't see it, but definitely knew it was there and it was. She giggled and rolled her eyes at him as always whenever he thought...things. "But don't push your luck." She laughed softly and kissed him once again...this time, praying for no interruptions...what so ever.

**...**

Dawn quickly ran out of the living room - she was the first person out. Her eyes adjusted to the dark as she wandered aimlessly down a hallway. Gary's house was big and even though she'd been in his house countless times, she still didn't know her way around completely. Especially now since it was dark.

She vaguely felt around in the dark as she walked. Walls enclosed her. In addition, the long, narrow hall seemed to be never-ending. She vaguely remembered this particular corridor. She and Ash had one time been lost and somehow ended up on _this_ hall. Of course, it eventually ended and they were able to find Gary.

However, it wasn't dark nor was she alone. Now that she was by herself, she was scared.

Looking from side to side - not that it was effective because she couldn't see in the thick darkness - she pressed her back to the wall, chills running through her body as the cool wall came in contact with her bare shoulders and arms. _Now_ she was thinking playing hide and seek wasn't such a great idea.

As a kid, she'd had bad experiences with dark therefore; she was not fond of darkness.

Footsteps sounded above her, causing Dawn to jump. She drew in a breath and released it, calming her nerves. "Get it together, Dawn," she told herself with confidence evident in her light voice.

It took a few minutes, but she slowly removed herself from the wall and took tiny steps, keeping the wall in reach as she did.

Relief finally sided with her once her hand felt no more of the never-ending wall. However, it was still dark.

Cautiously, she took small steps around the corner. Once she felt somewhat better, she strengthened her steps to regular ones. She was faintly sure she knew where she was and where she was headed.

Suddenly, she collided with _something_ hard and she would've fell backwards, screamed if that something hadn't quickly reached for her arm, and clamp _its _hand over her mouth.

_It_ placed her properly back on her steady feet and slowly removed _its_ hand from Dawn's mouth, praying she wouldn't scream.

And she didn't.

She only strained her eyes in the dark trying to find out whoever or whatever was standing before her. She could only see the outline. And surprisingly, she didn't scream or anything. Something told her not too, despite the fact she didn't know what was there. It could've been a killer or a rapist, yet she didn't utter a sound.

"Dawn?" Ah, _its_ a human. Taken aback, she stepped back at _his_ voice, though she was relieved it wasn't some lunatic - she was just surprised by _his _voice.

"Kai? How did you know it was me?" She asked with a rather confused expression on her face even though he couldn't see it. No matter how dark it was, she was still able to see his bright smile. She saw his white teeth glowing as he smiled. Dawn was secretly gawking at him.

"You're pretty unmistakable," Kai answered with a small laugh.

She cleared her throat, getting rid of an uneasy feeling she felt. "I guess so," she said a little quieter than she expected too. For some reason, she was feeling timid all of a sudden. Why she was feeling this way was beyond her. However, she was determined to push that feeling away. "Did you get lost, too?"

"Yeah..." he answered her sheepishly."I knew his house was big, but I didn't know it was _this_ big. Are you lost?"

"Yes, I'm so glad you're here."

Kai chuckled, feeling his cheeks burn. Good thing it was dark. "You know...sometimes it's good that we're lost. Then, no one will find us."

Dawn laughed and shoved him playfully to help ward off what she was _thinking_ he was saying. "_Only_ in the game of hide and seek."

Before Kai had the chance to respond, he and Dawn faintly heard Ash's voice echo through the hall. They broke into laughter but quickly toned it down to avoid giving their position away.

"Come on." Kai grabbed her hand and yanked her around the corner hurriedly.

"Where are we going? Do you know somewhere we can hide?" Dawn asked as she allowed him to pull her along in the dark.

"Not a clue..."

They heard footsteps approaching and Ash whistling letting anyone nearby that he was coming.

Dawn and Kai worked hard to hold on their laugh. Kai looked around helplessly in the dark, trying pin point exactly which direction Ash was coming from while Dawn trailed her hand on the wall.

Finally, her hand grasped a doorknob. "Get in here, hurry." She pushed Kai into a small, stuffed closet and she threw herself in, shutting the door as quickly and quietly as she could. However, throwing herself in the remote closet was something she regretted when she landed hard in his lap after tripping over his foot, knocking both of them down.

"Ow," Kai hissed through his teeth as his...lower area...endured pain, and also the impact from his back hitting the wall and his butt landing sharply on the ground.

"Sorry," Dawn whispered quickly. Lucky for her, her fall was cushioned. "Did I land on your...?" she asked carefully, blush spreading on her cheeks.

"Yes," Kai gritted through his teeth. "Can you move your hands, please?"

"Oh," Dawn said suddenly realizing where her hands were carelessly placed. She had forgotten she put her hands behind her while she was falling, which caused them to land somewhere they shouldn't. Quickly, she raised up a bit and removed her hands from the uncomfortable position. He face was hot. "Sorry," she said quietly.

"It's okay," Kai said weakly, the pain throbbing horribly.

Dawn sat quietly in his lap, somewhat uncomfortable - she didn't feel completely uneasy about it for some reason - as she waited for his pain to subside. She listened intently for any indication that Ash was near.

"Do you think Ash will find us?" Kai whispered suddenly. It took a few minutes, but the pain was finally gone. Now he sat quite comfortably with Dawn on his lap. He knew he shouldn't, but oddly, he felt _nice_ with Dawn settled on him. As long as Ash never found out...

"Ssh, I think he's coming." Dawn said softly.

Kai stayed quiet and listened. He was growing nervous as Ash's loud footsteps grew closer. What if he found them? That wouldn't be a pretty site. He'd think they were doing something.

Ash's girlfriend in a closet with Kai. Dawn sitting _on_ his lap. Pretty convincing in anyone's book.

_"Shit, where am I?" _Ash said, obviously blinded by the dark. Dawn bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at her boyfriend. "I should've brought my phone with me," Ash grumbled as he wandered away.

The two didn't say anything for a minute or at least until they were sure Ash was out of hearing distance.

"Do you think he's gone?" Kai asked, his voice low.

"I think so," Dawn said. "I don't hear him anymore." Kai didn't respond right away which made for a slightly uncomfortable silence. She was actually enjoying being in his lap. It was quite comfortable much like Ash's. She wouldn't mind staying in the position for a while longer...

However, she couldn't. And she wouldn't.

"I think the coast is clear, let's go," Dawn said as she reluctantly managed to get up. The closet was so small and stuffed with jackets that Dawn was nearly pressed against the door. However, she took this as an advantage and pressed her ear against the door, listening to see if Ash was hanging around anywhere.

Kai was actually relieved that it was time to get out of the closet. He _did_ like her sitting on his lap (not in a perverted way). Something about their recent position felt right and it got comfortable. However, Dawn has a boyfriend. Moreover, her boyfriend is Kai's friend. He could never do that. He just wasn't that type of person.

Without any complaining thoughts, Kai stood on his feet but found himself in another uncomfortable position. Except this was worse and more...suggestive. When he stood up, the many heavy jackets forced him forward, causing him to fall forward...with _him_ _pressed_ against _her_ and his hands on the door for support. If somewhere else wasn't starting to show it, his face was bright red. He didn't know what to do or say in this particular situation that he'd thought would never happen.

The seconds of silence ticked by as his weight against her body registered to her brain. She was well aware of what type of position they were in. With a flush creeping up her face, she realized she sort of liked this situation. And she didn't find it very uncomfortable, surprisingly. Maybe because she just finished sitting in his lap and _this_ was somewhat like it except for it was a little more...inappropriate.

"Uh," was all Kai could think of to say in this very awkward scenario. Who would be able to extract a sentence at a weird moment like this?

Dawn put her hand on the doorknob and twisted it, which was a mistake because she and Kai fell forward which _again _put them in another unlikely situation. She couldn't help but laugh under Kai. He put his weight on his hands, so he wouldn't squish her and for another particular reason. He didn't see why she was laughing. They were in another weird position and she was laughing?

"Why are you laughing?" Kai asked, his voice hinting his uneasiness.

"You have to admit this is funny," Dawn replied. "I mean...think about it. Three times in about ten minutes?" Dawn laughed.

"I just can't find the humor in this, Dawn," Kai replied smirking despite the seriousness in his tone.

"Well, I can," Dawn said, poking him stomach playfully. She was clearly really enjoying this, though she knew she shouldn't be.

Kai smiled, his uneasy feeling letting up a bit. "Well, I'm going to get off you now." He cautiously removed himself from above Dawn and once he was up, he helped down to her feet. "So um...this stays between us right?" Kai asked, his voice cracking a little.

Dawn couldn't keep her giggle inside. "Yes, Kai. We'll just act as if it never happened. Now come on, let's find base before Ash pops up somewhere."

Kai was relieved. He never wanted to be in that type of predicament with Dawn again. It was all too weird and uncomfortable for him. Like Dawn said, they would just not tell anyone what happened and move on as if it never happened.

However, he couldn't deny that...he liked it too.

**...**

Drew took May's hand and they were third to run out of the living room. May saw Dawn run one way and Kai run the other. She was thinking they would end up pairing up and hiding together. However, her thought was proved wrong when she saw them go separate ways. However, she wasn't complaining. Finally, Dawn was being smart.

Maybe.

"Drew, where are we going to hide?" May asked incredulously as Drew pulled her.

"Somewhere Ash won't look," Drew replied with a grin on his face. He discreetly opened the front door and he felt May's hand jerk out of grip.

"I'm not hiding outside!" she whispered with a tinge of harshness in her voice. "I just took a shower." The brunette pursed her lips together and folded her arms across her chest, pouting.

"You can take another one later." Drew reached for her hand before she was able to protest again and pulled her out the door. He quietly shut the door on the way out and they ran around the house into Gary's backyard.

"Uh, Drew, there's nowhere to hide out here, you know," May pointed out. Her and Drew stopped walking and Drew was scanning the large back yard.

"We can hide in that bush over there," Drew pointed to a medium sized bush and laughed sheepishly.

"Uh...no," May deadpanned. "Why don't we just go back inside and hide? I don't want to be out here anyways."

"We have a better chance of not getting found out here." Drew smirked and moved closer to May, snaking his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. He whispered softly, "Plus, it's a nice night. It's just you and me under the stars..."

May couldn't stop the blush from filling out her cheeks. She began to rethink the _hiding outside_ plan. "Okay fine, it sounds romantic when you put it that way." She hated how she would give in so easily to her smug boyfriend. She began to turn around to face Drew for she was starting to feel a bit intimate; however, she stopped herself when something glistening under the moonlight caught her eye. Whatever it was, it was in the farthest corner of Gary's backyard. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" Drew asked, his eyebrow rising in questioning.

"That _thing_ over there." She pointed her petite finger towards whatever it was that sparkling. However Drew still didn't see anything, and she could tell he was still lost because he grew quiet. "Ugh, come here." She wiggled out of his hold, grabbed his hand, and led him to the gleaming thing that caught her eye.

"What the..." Drew trailed off his sentence as he stared down at the thing May was referring to with an incredulous expression on his face. "When does Gary have a _pond_ in his backyard?"

On the other hand, May's eyes were wide with excitement. She cupped her hands over her mouth in pure astonishment and glee. "Oh my gosh!" She squealed, jumping up and down like a little child.

Drew looked at her with his eyebrow raised in questioning. He didn't know what the big deal was. It was just a small pond with a few stupid Pokemon inhabiting it. Big deal.

"Why are you so excited about this? It's just stupid Feebas, there are tons of them in the world," Drew said casually, watching the rare fish swim around clueless.

May glared at him and hit his arm causing him to wince and hold his arm in pain. "Can you get anymore clueless, Drew? If you haven't been informed already, these Pokemon are extremely rare to find. And they can evolve into one of the most beautiful Pokemon - Milotic," May explained, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Drew scoffed and rolled his eyes. He wasn't very fond at the shabby-looking Pokemon at all. And there was a good reason why. A horrible and embarrassing memory he would never forget, haunted his memory as May went on.

"I wonder why Gary has them in his backyard?" May wondered. "Maybe Professor Oak is doing some kind of research on them. I wonder if he'll let me have one when he's done with them? Then I could evolve it into Milotic and I could compete with it in contest." May squealed in excitement. She'd always wanted a Milotic and now she just may have a chance to obtain one. "And their scales are sparkling so they must be close to evolving! Isn't this awesome, Drew?" She turned to face her boyfriend; however, the brunette's smile faded once she saw the horrid expression on Drew's face. His cheeks were burning.

"Drew?" she said cautiously. "Are you okay?"

The green-haired boy must have heard her because he blinked and his eyes squinted at the innocent Feebas.

One particular Feebas came to a quick halt and stared at the boy, with its eyes in slits as if he was daring the emerald-eyed boy to do something.

May watched in confusion as the Pokemon and her boyfriend glared at each other. "Drew what are you doing?" she asked folding her arms.

A mischievous grin smirk tugged against the corner of Drew's lips. "I'm about to get my revenge! This _thing_ embarrassed me in fifth grade!"

May gave Drew that _really?_ look with her eyebrow raised in a sarcastic manner. "Drew, shut up. You sound very crazy right now. How could an innocent Feebas be the cause of your embarrassment in fifth grade? How do you even know it's the same one?"

"Because that Feebas's fin was torn in the exact same spot just like this one! And it's glaring at me, so it clearly remembers me."

"What did Feebas even do?" May asked, rolling her eyes at Drew's ridiculousness.

"I don't want to talk about it," Drew growled as he stared down his enemy.

"Yeah, you're definitely insane, Drew."

Drew simply ignored his girlfriend and bent down so he was level with the Feebas. The ugly little Pokemon was about to pay for what he did to him. "You're going to-"

Before Drew could even finish his sentence, the Feebas leaped out of the fresh water pond and tackled him without warning. May stood their with her mouth hanging open as she watched Drew squirm around on the ground as Feebas slapped him around with his fins. The fish continued its assault until Drew was still under him. He spit water at Drew's face and hopped back in the pond.

May stood speechless. That could not have just happened could it? A Feebas jumping out of the water and slapping around her boyfriend? Unfortunately, it _had_ just happened and Drew was lying on the ground with a red face, his mouth opened and his eyes blacked out. She didn't know whether she should laugh or help him?

May directed her gazed to her unconscious boyfriend as he began to stir. He opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing his sore face. Then his eyes turned back into slits as he stared at the Feebas that attacked him, whose eyes were poking up from under the water watching him intently.

"Not again..." May sighed.

Obviously, Drew hadn't had enough because he quickly lunged toward the little pond the same time as the Feebas jumped back out of the water. The medium-sized Feebas was strong. It pushed Drew back on his back and began slapping him around again. And to top off his assault on the helpless boy, before Feebas jumped back in the water satisfied, the Feebas took hold on Drew's shorts with its strong mouth and ripped them off him.

May slapped her hand over her mouth with her eyes wide. The Feebas winked at May and jumped back in the water with Drew's shorts clutched between its teeth.

Drew sat, his cheeks caked with red from the slaps and from blush. "Wait! I need those!" he cried. The Feebas popped his head from under the water, spit water out at him, and swam back under the surface. Drew turned his head to see May bending over, holding her sides laughing _hard_ at everything that just took place in front of her. This only caused his blush to deepen and a frown to appear on his face.

"It's not funny!"

May could barely talk, she was laughing so hard. So instead, she took off running towards the front of the house. She had to tell the others about Drew's little mishap.

Drew quickly got up, and ran after her blush still covering his face. This was the _second _time that Feebas owned him. In addition, it took his shorts.

As the two ran away, the Feebas peeked its eyes from under the water and watched the green-haired boy. A smirk graced the Pokemon's lips as he sunk back under the water.

**...**

Ash sighed as he finally entered the living room. He had given up after getting lost a few times. However, it was fun but it just plain tiring now. He turned the light on in the living room and jumped seeing four figures sitting casually on the couch, smiling at him.

"Hi, Ash," Dawn beamed at her boyfriend, waving to him.

"When did you guys get in here?" Ash asked.

"Kai and I've been in here for about ten minutes."

"Leaf and me just got in here," Gary said with a smirk on his face. Ash noticed Leaf's face was blushing furiously, but he ignored it. "Why'd you come back in here? You're supposed to be looking for us."

Ash plopped on a couch, next to Dawn. "I gave up. Do you have any idea where May and Drew are?"

Just a second after Ash asked that question, May burst threw the door still laughing and ran into the living room with Drew following close behind her. The five teenagers gave them both incredulous looks when they saw May laughing hysterically and Drew dripping with water with only his boxers and a shirt on and his face flushed.

"Uh...Drew why are you wet?" Kai asked ironically, eyeing the boy skeptically.

"And where are your shorts?" Ash asked, shaking his head awkwardly. Drew looked down quickly - he completely forgot he wasn't wearing shorts anymore - and covered himself with his hands.

"May what's so funny?" Leaf asked, giving her friend a crazy look. "Can one of you explain what's going on?"

May stopped laughing enough so she could explain what just happened. "He just got owned by a Feebas!"

"A Feebas?" Dawn said, her voice hinting confusion.

"That little shit attacked me and took my shorts!" Drew exclaimed as the anger boiled in him. He didn't like the idea of being owned by a Pokemon. It was really making his clock tick. Kai and Ash began laughing as they imagined a random Feebas attacking Drew and ripping off his shorts. "It's not funny!" Drew growled.

"Wait, I know what Feebas you're talking about!" Gary said. "Dude, that thing is evil. It attacked me while I was trying to feed the stupid thing."

"You have a Feebas?" Leaf asked.

"Not technically. Gramps is doing some research with them so he had a pond built for them."

"Really, what is he researching for?" Dawn's eyes lit up. "What's he going to do with them when he's done? I want one so~ bad. I can evolve it into Milotic and enter it contest to show off it's beauty."

"Same thing I was thinking!" May beamed at the bluenette.

"Lame," Ash coughed, causing both girls to throw a quick glare in his direction.

"I don't know, I got bored when he tried to explain it to me," Gary said in a uninterested tone. "Maybe he'll let you two have one when he's done with them."

"I wanna see them!" Dawn said smiling.

"No you don't," Drew countered. "Those things are fucked in the head. Look what it did to me!" Everyone looked at Drew and burst out laughing. He looked absolutely ridiculous right now. And his blushing cheeks made his ridiculous look complete.

"Dude, go put some pants on!" Kai said in between laughs. The green-haired boy grumbled something and quickly disappeared up the stairs to put on a fresh new pair of shorts and a clean, dry shirt.

May took this as an opportunity to tell them what the Feebas did to him. She started from when her and Drew ran out of the living room to find a hiding place to all the way to now. By the time Drew came back down feeling much better, everyone was cracking up from the story.

He knew why they were all laughing so he sulked as he walked over to sit on a couch. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh. We'll see who'll be laughing when I get that stupid Feebas!" Drew said haughtily.

"Why did it even attack you in the first place?" Dawn asked, laughing.

"Because of something that happened in fifth grade," May informed the bluenette while smirking at her boyfriend.

"That's the same Feebas?" Gary asked, his eyes wide with amusement and shock. Drew nodded his head with his lips pressed tightly together. "Second time!" Gary said throwing his head back, laughing again.

"What happened?" Leaf asked.

"Drew was-"

"Gary~" Drew said in a warning tone through gritted teeth. _"Don't _say anything!" He growled out his words with venom dripping in his voice.

"Why not?" Dawn asked, giggling.

"Because it was one of the most embarrassing moments in his life!" Gary said, smirking at the chartreuse-haired boy. "But if he doesn't want me to tell the story then I won't...for now. I'll spare you this time Drewsy."

May giggled at the nickname. "Drewsy."

"Don't call me that," Drew whined in a childish manner. "Look, could we just get off this whole entire subject?"

"Sure..." Ash said slyly. "But we _will _bring it back up later," he added causing everyone to laugh again and Drew shoot him a death glare.

"Anyways," Drew said, changing the subject himself. "Are we playing another round of hide and seek or what?"

"Oh yeah," Gary said. He plus everyone else forgotten all about the game for they were too busy cracking up. "Ash is it again since he found no one."

"Hell no! I don't want to be it again. It's too hard by myself."

"Choose someone to help you," Dawn suggested. "But not me," she added quickly, smiling.

"Yeah, because then you two would never find anyone," Leaf winked at the bluenette as she said that causing her to blush slightly. Ash or Dawn made no attempt to say something back in rejection, which only made Leaf laugh at her assumption.

"I'll help you," Kai said.

"Awesome!" Ash beamed "Let's play then."

"Oh yeah, how about we make outside off limits this time so Drew won't get owned by that Feebas again!" Gary said, making everyone except Drew laugh.

"I thought we were off that!" Drew complained.

"We are..._now_." Gary said, turning off the lights to the living room and making a hasty retreat with Leaf, May, Dawn, and Drew closely behind him.

They played hide and seek for twenty minutes before they all decided to play Man Hunt, which resembles hide, and seek except with Man Hunt there's no base and the game is continuous. They found Man Hunt much more fun, especially in Gary's house. There was plenty of places to hide and enough room to break into a full sprint. And playing in the dark was an extra bonus, despite it being a bit scary.

They played until they were all tired and worn out from running. Gary and Leaf slept in his room of course while May and Drew resided in a guest bedroom, Ash and Dawn shared another guest bedroom, and Kai had a room to himself in another guest bedroom.

The house was finally quiet as all of them retired to their respective bedrooms for the night, for a good night's sleep after having a few hours of tiresome fun. It took no time for sleep to overcome all of the teenagers.

Well...almost all of them.

**x-x-x**

Dawn lay in bed quietly, looking around in the darkness. She had been awake for at least two hours and she wasn't getting sleepy or anywhere near it. On the other hand, Ash was holding her with his arms around her waist sleeping like a baby. She could hear the soft snores emitting from him.

She was wondering why she was having a hard time going to sleep but found no explanation.

Finally, she decided to go downstairs to get something to drink. Maybe getting out of bed for a while will actually make her somewhat tired.

Dawn gently held Ash's arm up a little as she slowly slid away from him. Once she was out of his arms, she got out of the bed, while being careful not to wake Ash. Thanks to his heavy sleeping, he didn't even stir. She smiled down at him and bent down to kiss his cheek before she quietly walked out the bedroom and down the stairs.

Dawn turned on the low light in the kitchen, walked over to the refrigerator, took out a water bottle, and sat at the table. She took a sip of water and her body automatically relaxed. The cool liquid going down her throat was soothing and calming. It was if she needed it to help her relax.

"Up past your bedtime, huh?"

Dawn's heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the sound of the voice. She turned around and she could see his chocolate eyes gleaming from the soft light in the kitchen. She rolled her eyes at the boy and took a deep breath. "What about your bedtime? Much past yours isn't it?"

The boy smiled. "I'm a man! I don't have bedtimes."

The bluenette scoffed and rolled her eyes playfully and took another sip of her water. "Whatever, Kai."

Kai laughed to himself and walked towards Dawn. "Why are you up anyway? It's pretty late."

Dawn shrugged and twisted the cap back on her water bottle. "I don't know. I couldn't sleep so I came down here to get something to drink. Why are you still up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Kai answered, shrugging his shoulders. Kai began walking to the front door and Dawn's eyes were glued on him as he moved.

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously.

"On the porch..." He stopped walking and turned to face her. "Wanna join me?" he asked smoothly, his eyes wide.

"Why not?" Dawn smiled at him, stood up from her chair, and walked towards him.

Kai opened the door quietly for both of them and they stopped out of the house, into the cool, serene night. They sat down on the bench and sat in silence for a few minutes.

The night was relaxing. The moon was full; its pearly white light gave off natural light. The stars were scattered in the black sky and they were sparkling like tiny diamonds hitting light.

"The stars look extra beautiful tonight," Dawn said softly, breaking the silence between them.

Kai looked at Dawn - her eyes were lit up - then he looked up at the stars and smiled before saying, "Comme tes yeux."

Dawn looked at him with a confused expression on her face to which he just chuckled at. "English please?"

"You should know what I said. You take French class."

"That doesn't mean I know everything in French," Dawn retorted.

"But those are simple words...you should know them." Kai looked at her and smiled a cute smile that made her cheeks blush. The smile he was giving her, reminded her of Ash in a way. Ash always gives her that cute, innocent look.

"Stop smiling at me like that," Dawn said, giggling and shoving him playfully.

"Makes you uncomfortable?" Kai asked, teasing her.

"Something like that," Dawn replied with a smile as she looked at him again. "So tell me, what brings you out here at four in the morning?"

"It was hot in my room so I thought I come out here for a little while to cool off. And that's when I happen to find you," he said nudging her playfully. "But what's really going on with you?"

Dawn looked down in her lap where her fingers were twirling around each other. For some reason that question hit her and made her think. She'd been up for hours lying awake, thinking. Maybe it was her deep thoughts that kept her up and feeling...a way she shouldn't be feeling.

"I-I was thinking," Dawn said softly, while still looking down in her lap.

"About what?" Kai asked without thinking. He wasn't the type of person to delve into people's personal thoughts, so he never asked what anyway was or had been thinking about, but it was something about Dawn - how she sounded - that made him push out the question.

He heard Dawn take a deep breath before she answered, "Ash and I."

That really sparked his attention. "What about you two? Is everything okay?" he asked thoughtfully.

The bluenette lightly shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she breathed out. "I don't feel like our relationship is where it's supposed to be," Dawn admitted honestly.

"Why not?"

Dawn sighed and looked up at Kai, her eyes shining as if she was about to cry. "I don't wanna talk about it right now," she said with a weak smile.

Kai automatically felt guilty; as if he was trying to force her to talk about something she wasn't ready to talk about. Or at least to _him._ "Sorry, I should have never-"

Dawn quickly stopped him from apologizing. "There's no need for _you_ to say sorry. It's not your fault," she reassured him, obliviously to why he was apologizing in the first place. "I just should have never brought it up. But, let's just change the subject," she said with a smile, turning back into her cheery self again.

The boy took no time in changing the subject. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. "I love the picture you painted of me. I had no idea you could draw like that - you're an amazing artist."

Dawn blushed at the compliment and smiled at him. "Thank you. I worked extremely hard on it, I'm glad you like it."

"You know, no one's ever done that for me before...you were the absolute first to paint a picture of me and Shinx," he smiled softly at the bluenette.

"Really?" Dawn asked. "Well, I'm glad I could be the first." She giggled shyly. "So how'd you enjoy your birthday?"

Kai laughed softly and shook his head, smiling. "It was awesome. I didn't think I'd have that much fun with you all. I think the water fight was the best part, though."

"It was fun, other than my hair getting messed up," Dawn said running her fingers through her ponytail. "I can't believe you idiots tried to make a plan, which failed horribly."

"It did not fail horribly. Half of it worked."

"Half, not whole," Dawn said laughing.

"Whatever you say, Dawn," Kai said, grinning as he leaned his head back enjoying the fresh air.

A light comfortable silence fell over them. The small breeze rustled the trees a bit, giving a little sound between Dawn and Kai so it wasn't completely silent. Not that it mattered though, this silence…was somehow welcoming. They didn't mind the silence.

However, as they saying states _all great things must come to an end_. "Have you ever wished on a shooting star?" Dawn asked randomly as she gazed up at the shining stars that dotted the black sky.

"Yeah, I have," Kai answered. "And it's pure bull."

"Let me guess, your wishes never came true?"

"None of them," Kai replied and Dawn giggled softly. "Have you ever wished on a shooting star?"

"Actually, I did - just a few days ago."

"Did it come true?"

Dawn sighed and looked at him. "No...it might not come true anyways. What I wished for is...kind of out there."

"What did you wish for?"

The bluenette playfully shrugged her shoulders. "I can't say."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't," Dawn replied before she stuck her tongue out at him. "If I do tell you, than it definitely won't come true."

"Please?"

"No...just know that it hasn't come true yet...but I kind of hope it does." Dawn smiled warmly at him before she looked up at the stars and closed her eyes for a brief second, thinking of her wish again.

"Why can't you just tell me what it is? It's not going to come true anyways. So you might as well tell me," Kai said, trying to persuade the girl but she laughed and shook her head. She wasn't falling for it.

"Sorry Kai, but I don't wish and tell."

"Of course you don't," the brown-eyed boy said sarcastically. "I bet you _kiss _and tell though..." Kai trailed off his sentence and looked at Dawn. He could tell by face expression that he caught her off guard. Her blue eyes were wide and he could see a red hue dusting her cheeks.

"H-huh?" she said. She heard exactly what he said, but her words were lost; she didn't know what to say.

Without warning, Kai smiled at her and leaned over to the bluenette, getting close to her face. Dawn's heartbeat sped up rapidly as he got closer to her face. She wanted to move away, but her body wasn't letting her.

His lips softly and ever so gently brushed against her cheek for a few seconds before he moved away from her face.

Dawn could feel her cheeks heat up. She knew they were on fire by Kai's actions. She stared at him in shock. She knew she shouldn't but...she actually liked the small kiss he gave her on her cheek. It was sweet, thoughtful. There was a tingling feeling on her cheek where Kai kissed her and she liked that feeling. It was a good sensation.

Slowly, Dawn stood up and started for the door. But not before she bent down so she was close to Kai's face. She leaned closer to his _ear_ and whispered softly in his ear, "Just so you know, I don't kiss and tell." Kai smiled to himself as he watched her regain her posture and walk towards the door again. "Goodnight," she said to him with a smile that made him tingle on the inside.

Once Dawn disappeared into the house, Kai took in a deep breath and released before he put his head in his hands and said quietly to himself, "_What am I thinking?"_

**...**

Dawn's heart was racing as she tip toed back up the steps and entered the room her and Ash were sleeping in. She closed the door slowly, so it wouldn't make any noise causing him to wake before she crept back into bed beside him. As soon as she was under the covers, she felt two arms wrap around her and a body snuggle close to hers. She smiled at her boyfriend's actions but she felt weird, uncomfortable.

She'd just been with another guy, for who knows how long, who kissed her and now she was back in her boyfriend's arms. It didn't seem right, but once _she_ thought about it, she didn't see a problem with it. Her and Kai were just friends and the small kiss on the cheek was only a friendly gesture. Maybe even a thank you gift for the painting?

No harm done.

However, Dawn rid herself of her thoughts that raced through her mind except for one as she allowed sleep to overcome her...

_"I guess wishes do come true..."_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: And that is the end of this chapter...be honest, how many of you have your mouth hanging open right now? XD I know someone does, because even my jaw was dropped when I wrote it XD.<strong>

**Anyways~ I hope this chaper was entertaining and _surprising_) and most of all I hope you all enjoyed this long chapter.**

**This is really starting to become a habit, but I can't help it /: I love seeing your answers ;)**  
><strong>1. Did you think Ash was going be mad? Did it surprise you that he wasn't? ;)<strong>  
><strong>2. What do you think happened to Drew in fifth grade with the Feebas? XD I purposely didn't go back to the flashback because I wanted to leave it up to you guys' imagination XD<strong>  
><strong>3. What do you think Kai meant at the end of this chapter when he said, "<em>What am I thinking?"<em>**  
><strong>4. Can you guess Dawn's wish?<strong>  
><strong>5. Do you think Ash will find out what went down between Kai and Dawn?<strong>  
><strong>on this chapter? :)<strong>  
><strong>6. Any predictions for next chapter? ;)<strong>

**Yeah, so please answer those questions :) **

**I'm not sure when I'll be updating again, but I do promise it won't be as long a wait. Give me about...two weeks? Maybe not even that. I already know exactly what I want to happen next chapter, and I even have about two hundred words written down already. So it shouldn't take long to complete and I feel like it'll be extrememly easy to write the next chapter.**

**Hm...I have nothing more to say except for Review please :D and I'll see you guys next time :)**

**- Angelcutepie**


	14. Confessions

**Author's Notes: Heeeellooo, you wonderful readers ^_^ I know~ it's been a while since I updated and I said I wouldn't take long to update...but obviously this chapter is long and it was much, much harder to write than I thought it would be. Speaking of which, I'd like to give a very, very, _very _special thanks to my best friend/secret twinnie, ShadowkittyxX, because when I was stuck on a part for what seemed like forever, she helped me by giving me a idea and I was able to continue from there without a problem. And this has happened a few times with this chapter...so THANK YOU :D I love you much! ^_^ And you guys should thank her too...because this probably wouldn't be updated today if she wasn't there :)**

**Anywho...I'm very, very pleased with this chapter and I think you guys will be too :D. It's long...but I think dramatic...or informational? Well, by the chapter name it's obvious what's going to happen. You just don't know from who yet ;)**

**Oh yes...one last thing, I promise. I'm dedicating this chapter to two people: Eyes for Vova Only and The Matter's Settled. Why? Well, because Eyes for Vova Only mentioned in her review something that I'm sure everyone forgot about and simply brushed it off. She kept it in mind ^_^ which is good because it's talked about in this chapter. *You'll know when you get there ;) and good job on that :)***  
><strong>And The Matter's Settled because you guessed Dawn's wish exactly right :D you were the only one. I think you took the context clues ;) and you hit it right on the nail why Kai said "What am I thinking?" I love how you realize everything. You <em>always<em> guess things right. Sometimes, I think you're in my head or something o.O xD**

**Hehe, so yes. Chapter dedication to those two :D**

**Okay, _now _I'm done talking~ you may read ;) enjoy!**

**Btw, this chapter is only 10,198 words. A/N took up spaces. Plus Fanfiction messes up the word count -_-**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>Alright class, today we are going-"

Dawn sighed as she laid her head on the desk, blocking out whatever her teacher was going on about. She really didn't feel up to school today. Her stomach was hurting horribly and she was feeling a little nauseous. She actually threw up when she woke up that morning.

However, she brushed off the bizarre incident by _once again _persuading herself she'd eaten something bad and it was just now affecting her. She tried to block out the pain in her stomach by trying to focus on the teacher's lectures, but it was too boring to pay attention.

She stole a glance from Kai. Obviously, he was paying attention because he was busy taking notes.

Then she switched her vision from Kai to glance at May. She sat across the room _again_ with some girl. Not that Dawn really cared, though. Dawn knew the only reason why they'd gotten along Friday night was because they were having fun. Now, everything was back to normal. May had barely acknowledged Dawn, and Dawn barely acknowledged May.

Dawn quickly pushed May out of her head - she got boring - and thought back to Friday night. With Kai when they were sitting on the porch together.

When he kissed her cheek.

Her stomach fluttered just like it had when he was leaning close to her. Color flared across her cheeks just thinking of his soft lips on her cheek, ever so tenderly. Why'd he do it? It was just so...abrupt and he did it without any warning. She wondered what drove him to make that brave move. Could he possibly-

"Dawn?"

The voice penetrated her thoughts. She groaned inwardly, picked her head up, and stared at the boy who called her name. Just seeing his warm smile and brown eyes instantly made the sharp pain in her stomach ease. She adored his innocent-looking eyes. They were like sweet melted chocolate.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked her thoughtfully, with a soft smile and his eyes gleaming. Dawn heard the clear concern in his voice and the way he was looking at her made a red hue dust her cheeks, lightly.

The bluenette sat straight up, disregarding the pain and smiled at the brown-eyed boy. "I'm fine. No need to worry," she recited her favorite line while waving her hand in the air, proving she was just fine. "Thank you for asking, though," she said in a sweet voice.

"No problem. Just making sure you're okay," Kai told her, flashing his award-winning smile at her. "You seem quieter than usual."

"Oh...I just have a few things on my mind," she lied smoothly. "So, um, what are doing?" She asked quickly, changing the subject. She noticed the teacher was walking around, talking to kids and handing them papers.

Kai sighed annoyingly before answering, "We're getting assigned projects. The teacher is pairing everyone into two's and assigning them a certain project."

The bluenette groaned and rolled her eyes. She hated projects; everyone does. At least it was a partner project. Partner projects are also more fun and easier since you don't have to do everything by yourself.

The teacher strode over to Kai and Dawn with a stack of papers in his hand, and a serious look plastered on his face. "I am pairing you two up for your project," the old teacher said as he placed two sheets of paper on Kai's desk. Dawn and Kai exchanged looks, smiling approvingly, before turning their attention back to their teacher. "Your assignment is to build a 3-D model of the Unova region. However, if building a model is too hard then you can always draw it on a poster board.

"There is information on the rubrics I handed you two. In addition, you must write an essay explaining how the Unova region was created, the climate and Geography of Unova, history of Unova, list all cities and their current population along with a detailed description, list all landmarks also with a detailed description, list the five bridges of Unova and tell what towns they connect, and list all the gyms spread throughout the Unova region along with their leaders and what type of gym it is." As soon as he spoke the last word, the teacher spun on his heels and went to the next two awaiting students to explain their project.

"T-that seems like a lot of work to do," Dawn said dumbfounded by the whole project.

Kai shrugged his shoulders calmly and shook his head slowly. "I'm sure it's not too bad. It just sounds like a lot. The paper will be easy to write...it's the Unova model I'm worried about."

Dawn smiled, reassuringly. Here is where her drawing skills come in handy perfectly. "Don't worry; leave it to me to draw Unova. I can't build anything," Dawn laughed sheepishly. "But I can draw, so don't worry."

"Oh yeah, I forgot how amazing of an artist you are." His compliment made the bluenette blush. She realized that she has been blushing a lot around him lately. "How about you draw and I'll write the essay?"

"Fine, but only if I can help with the essay. I love to write!"

"You sure?" Kai asked, looking at the bluenette with his eyebrow raised slightly. "It won't be too much work on you, will it?"

Dawn shook her head, giggling. "No, I don't mind at all. I'll be just fine."

"Okay, if you say so," Kai said smiling and eyeing the bluenette.

Once the teacher finished making his rounds, he walked back to the front of the classroom. The class quickly quieted down so they could hear what he had to say. "These projects will be due next Monday. That is a week from now. These projects I assigned are not difficult so it should not take long to complete. There should be no excuses for anyone to not have them completed and ready to present on next Monday. Monday will be the only day to turn them in, I will not accept any late projects. You will just have a zero in the grade book. Only exception to that rule is if you have become hospitalized or if you are absent that day with a note in the office. Is that clear?"

Numerous answers of "Yes" sounded throughout the classroom as the teacher scanned the students with a demanding look.

"Alright, now have a great day." As soon as he ended his sentence with the last word, the bell rung indicating it was the end of the students' first block and it was time to move to their second class of the day.

Dawn and Kai each picked up a rubric for the project, packed it with their things, and walked out the door together to head to their next class.

"I'm busy all this week after school, so do you want to get together on the weekend? We should be able to finish between Saturday or Sunday."

Dawn thought for a moment, to make sure her plans for the weekend were clear. She felt like she had something to do, but she couldn't bring herself to remember specifically what it was. _Must not be important_, she thought. "Sounds good to me," she smiled.

She couldn't help but get excited of spending some time with the boy. The thought made her stomach flutter. Ever since Friday night with Kai, she's been thinking and her thinking brought her to realizing something...

The school day went smoothly and surprisingly quick. The couples said goodbye to each other when it was time to return home. Gary went to Ash's house so Gary could help Ash plan something very, _very_ special for the upcoming weekend. Something that Ash has been waiting for, for weeks. And now it was finally here. Just a few days away.

"Let's talk business, Ash," Gary said as he situated himself in Ash's desk chair and crossed his arms and legs in an intelligent fashion.

Ash shot him an incredulous look mixed with just a tinge of annoyance. "You really have to sit like that?" Ash asked, his voice laced with obvious sarcasm.

The brunette boy unfolded his arms and legs and proceeded to lean forward, his firm forearms placed carefully on his thighs and his hands entwined together as he eyed Ash. As he stared at him, his expression turned into one of contained seriousness. He ignored Ash's question. "What do you have planned for Saturday?"

Ash sighed as he pushed his hand senselessly through his soft, raven locks. "I made a reservation at that fancy restaurant in Cerulean City."

"Riverview Restaurant?" Gary guessed quickly. It was the only fancy restaurant in Cerulean City so it wasn't difficult to figure out what restaurant Ash was referring to. "That place is pretty expensive," Gary said nodding his head in stunned approval. He was honestly surprised that someone such as Ash was capable of thinking to book a reservation at such an exquisite eating-place. He had to give Ash his props for that one.

"Nice. Now what do you planned for _after _dinner?"

Now Ash's face went blank. "I-I don't have anything planned," Ash answered honestly in a sheepish tone of voice.

Gary dropped his head, huffing in the insignificant process. His head hung limp for a few seconds. However, he kind of saw that coming. He _was _dealing with Ash after all. His downfall was certain to come eventually.

He snapped his head up in a swift motion. "Ash, it's your second anniversary and that is _all_ you have planned?"

Ash averted his gaze to elsewhere in his room. He knew Gary was looking at him ironically and that was the gaze he wanted to avoid at the moment. It made him highly uncomfortable. "Well~" Ash said slowly, dragging the word out. "I was thinking of booking a hotel room."

Gary pondered on the somewhat unrealistic idea. It didn't sound bad, _but_ it wasn't very great either. A hotel room for a second anniversary? Maybe for _grownups_ but definitely not _teenagers. _"Okay~ don't you think that's a bit extreme? It's not really second anniversary material."

Finally, Ash focused his attention back on Gary. "I don't want to take her to see a movie or to the beach. I want to do something different." That was one of the good things about Ash. He liked to be different and try new things. He thought it would be cliché to take his girlfriend to the movies or for a walk on the beach. It was romantic and all, but he didn't want to do the _usual_ stuff.

All right, maybe getting a hotel room is extreme…but it was _different _and it was just as romantic.

Gary nodded his head in agreement. He could understand that, however he still thought it was much too overboard. "Yeah, I see what you're saying...but-"

"Plus, I think it might be one way to reignite the flame." Ash cut in quietly, but audibly enough for the brown-haired boy to hear.

One of the brunette's eyebrows lifted in surprise and confusion. "Reignite the flame? What do you mean, Ash? What's up?"

"Well," Ash breathed out slowly. He leaned forward, placing his elbows effectively on his knees, and letting both his hands run freely through his messy hair. "Gary," he sighed weakly. "Dawn and I...we're just not the same anymore."

"H-how? I thought everything was fine?" Gary now was really focused on the raven-haired boy. His eyes were fixed on Ash calmly yet seriously. This was nothing to take lightly...especially when it came to Ash and Dawn's relationship. He sighed inwardly as he listened to Ash.

"Everything isn't what it seems, Gary. We may look like everything's fine, but it's not."

"Explain," Gary nodded his head for Ash to continue talking.

Ash bit down on his bottom lip lightly before be proceeded to speak. "Our relationship isn't the same as it used to be. When we're around each other, it just doesn't feel right anymore. Like the love just isn't there...I love her...but..." Ash trailed off his sentence and thought.

He and Dawn had been together for over a year, almost two, now. In that time, they'd become closer to each other than he could have ever imagined. She was his confidant, the first person he turned to when he felt stressed over something. When he was angry, she knew when to leave him be and when to calm him down. Likewise, he was Dawn's secret keeper and comforting shoulder. He knew how to read her eyes and her eyebrows. He had learned to read the flare of her nostrils and the pinch of her lips. The intimate knowledge that they shared of each other was the reason why their relationship was so effortless.

And yet, despite how easy and affectionate their relationship was, Ash felt… discontent.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he winced.

It wasn't as if he wanted to break up with her, though. It wasn't that at all. Ash still loved Dawn and he still wanted to be with her. That hadn't changed.

However, it was undeniable that their relationship had changed from what it used to be. It had been a gradual change.

"Ash, have you talked to her about this?" Gary asked. He couldn't deny that he'd also seen a alteration in their relationship; he's just been quiet about it. He really had no choice but not say anything. He couldn't go up to Ash and say _'hey, you're relationship isn't right, I've noticed.'_ It wasn't his place to interfere unless Ash or Dawn came to him personally.

Ash shook his head slowly.

"Well, Ash, I think you should talk to her about how you're feeling. You never know...she might feel the same." Gary shrugged. Surely if Ash was feeling this way...Dawn would be too, right?

"I don't know, Gary..."

"You can't continue a relationship if you're unhappy, Ash. It could only lead to problems."

"I know...but it won't continue longer."

Gary's eyebrow rose. "You're going to talk to her?" he asked, hoping that's what Ash was meaning. However, Ash's lips pursed together and he shook his head. Gary's eyebrows shot up as realization hit him. "Y-you're going to break up with her? Why, Ash? You can't just end it without talking first!" Gary was shaking his head in serious disapproval. Those two breaking up was the last thing he wanted to happen.

"That's not why," Ash said, his voice rising. Then he sighed and lowered it back to normal, "At least not the main reason." Gary didn't say anything, so Ash drew in a breath and let it out before starting to explain. This was something he definitely wanted _Dawn_ to know first but...

"I'm going to college...this year, after school ends."

"What?" Was Gary's quick response. He didn't see that coming, and he didn't want to either. "You're leaving for college this year? I thought you were waiting until next year until Dawn finishes school and you two go together. Well...we _all_ go together."

"I _was_ but I've been thinking about it lately, and I've decided that I do want to go this year."

Gary opened his mouth to say something, but he decided not too. He respected Ash's decision despite how hurt he was inside - deep, deep down inside - and he wasn't going to try to change his mind. He wouldn't be a good friend if he did. Gary studied Ash. He looked as if he was going to cry any moment, but he could tell he was trying to hold it all in.

"So, this means you _have _to break up with Dawn?" Gary asked. He already knew the answer. Long distance relationships never work. Ash would be in Unova and Dawn in Kanto - that just wasn't possible.

Ash let a tear escape his eye. He nodded his head, "Yeah, but...I don't know how to or when to do it." Ash sniffed and lowered his voice as he said, "I don't want to."

"You have to do it soon, Ash. The school year is almost over...and you don't want to wait until it gets too late." For the first time, Gary didn't have any good advice to give his best friend. He didn't know what to tell him, honestly.

"I was thinking about telling her on our date...but I don't think I should."

Gary shook his head solemnly. Telling her _on _their anniversary had _bad idea_ written all over it. "Yeah, don't tell her this weekend..." Gary trailed slowly off his sentence.

The distressed raven-haired boy breathed out heavily. "Than when should I tell her? I need to tell her soon or she'll just get hurt more." In addition, _he _will get hurt more. The longer he waited to let Dawn know the closer it got to his departing day. The longer he waited, the worse the pain would get.

"Wait a few days to tell her...after your anniversary," Gary suggested, his eyes glinting. Gary's mind trailed.

Ash said he'd been thinking _lately_ about the idea of going to college. _Lately_ his and Dawn's relationship was shaky, as Ash said. So...has their relationship effected his decision? Gary remembered clearly when Ash said he'd never leave Dawn behind for college; he'd wait for her. He had sounded so determined when he said it. Was this Ash's way of getting out of his relationship with Dawn? If so, why?

He could be wrong, but there _was _something definitely behind Ash's decision. Why else would he change his mind like that?

The brunette had to ask, "Ash," he said the ebony-haired boy's name slowly. "Does your relationship have anything to do with your decision?"

Ash simply looked at Gary with wide, brown eyes as if he were asking Gary mentally _Why would you ask that question? Of course not._

Gary took this as a sign and continued. "I'm not trying to change your mind or anything, Ash; I'm just worried about your relationship with Dawn." And he truly was. Dawn was like a little sister to him and Ash was like an annoying brother to him. And whenever it came to serious problems with your siblings, you just have to help them figure things out. Moreover, that's what Gary wanted to do, figure things out. "Remember how you promised you were going to college with Dawn? W-what happened to that?"

"What do you mean what happened to that?" Ash's voice was low and deep. He took his eyes off Gary and blinked a few times.

"Ash, I think you're just deciding to go to college to get out of your relationship," Gary said blurted out after loosing a little patience with Ash's lack of cooperation. His burst forced Ash's eyes back on him.

A pang of guilt hit Ash. When Gary put it _that_ way...it sounded horrible.

Undeniably, he loved Dawn. He loved being with her.

However, he couldn't deny that he _did _kind of want _out_ of the relationship. Nothing was the same between them anymore. No, he didn't want to break up with her, but he knew he had to if their relationship wasn't where it _should _be.

"Okay," Ash said finally. "I am."

Gary gave him a soft, incredulous look as he asked quietly, "Why?" He watched as a tear slid slowly down the side of Ash's face. Ash wiped it away and shook his head slowly, thinking. "Ash, tell me _everything _that's going on in your mind right now. I can tell you're thinking about a lot. Just let it out."

Ash took in a huge breath and let it go while he closed his eyes to sustain his tears. Once he was ready, he did as Gary told him to...let _everything _out.

"I honestly don't know what to do with our relationship anymore. When Dawn and I kiss, it's not the same. That spark just isn't there anymore. You know what I realized Gary?" Ash didn't even give the brunette a chance to finish his sentence before he began to speak again. "Ever since Kai got here our relationship has been dwindling. Everything between us is falling apart and I honestly blame him for it. Before Kai got here, our relationship was going great. It's strange that as soon as he comes, we start to break, you know?

"It seems like she's more worried about him than she is _me_ and _I'm _her _boyfriend_. That picture she painted of Kai...Gary, I was hurt." Fresh tears began to sting the back of Ash's eyes as he continued. "I knew it was supposed to be me instead of him. She was always talking about how great it would be when she finished it for _me_...she really got my hopes up for the painting - I was anxious myself. But seeing that she changed it to Kai instead really hurt, man. But I shook it off because it was his birthday and I knew _why_ she did it. I just wish she would've consulted me, though.

"Honestly, I think she likes him and I think that's why our relationship is the way it is. There is no other explanation for it. It's like when I'm around her...I can't help but ask myself..._Is she still my girlfriend?_ It's as if she's not trying to put any effort into our relationship anymore, but I am. And last time I checked, a relationship takes two people - not one. I Love her _a lot,_ Gary and I would do absolutely anything for her. But, at this point...I'm wondering if she's even worth it anymore. It's like I _want_ to talk to her and attempt to work things out and just see how she feels, but I also want to just give up and move on. Maybe we just don't belong with each other..." Ash trailed off his sentence. By now, he had tear trails on his cheeks.

He was finished talking. And he actually felt better. He'd been holding that in for quite some time.

Gary had been listening very closely to Ash. He was astounded by the time Ash finished. He could tell - well, anyone could tell - that Ash was really hurt. Ash was never the person to give up on something, no matter what it is. But now, he was talking about giving up on his relationship?

"Ash...don't say that," Gary said softly. "You two have been together for two years! Of course, you belong together! I _do_ see where you're coming from about _everything. _But Ash, you can't give up - that's not you. Everything you just told me, you have to tell Dawn. Communication is important in a relationship. I mean look, you're forcing yourself to go to college this year to get out of your relationship because you won't talk to her. Ash, if you really love her and if you're willing to make this relationship work - which I know you are - then you have to tell her how you feel. If you think she likes Kai or if she's giving him more attention than she is you, then don't sit back and let it happen, Ash - confront her. Well, let me ask you this...do you still want to be with her?"

Gary watched as Ash lowered his head and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"Ash, you have to be more specific."

This time, Ash nodded his head. He seemed a bit hesitant, but he nodded.

"Okay, then it's your responsibility to work things out, Ash," Gary said. "You know what? This weekend, sometime while you and Dawn are together, you have to talk to her. But do that last. First, enjoy dinner and whatever you have planned afterwards. Doing that will give you a chance to see how your connection with her is since it'll _only_ be you two. And before you take her home just tell her you want to talk to her about something that's been heavily on your mind lately. _You_ talk first. Don't let her cut you off at any time because you have to get your point across.

"And after you finish saying what you have to say, and then allow her to say what she has to. I'm not saying that talking is going to make things better for you...but it could; it's a chance. You can't walk away without trying first. If she disagrees with you, then, yes, call it quits because you can't be in a relationship feeling how you're feeling now. If she agrees, then you two are good. You can settle everything and you two will be fine again." Gary finished talking and eyed Ash hard. He felt like one of those marriage counselors dealing with a rough, messed up married couple.

However, Gary just cared deeply about Ash and Dawn's relationship. He refused to see them break up for any reason. He would do anything he could to keep them together.

Ash was secretly kind of skeptical about talking to Dawn, but he knew it was something he needed to do if he wanted to save their relationship.

However, Ash's question to himself was...Did Dawn _want_ to save their relationship? She would never be doing the things she's doing now if she cared about their relationship...right?

**x-x-x**

Kai was sitting on the couch with his laptop on his lap as he gathered information for the tedious project him and Dawn were assigned.

He had to admit, he was more than happy to be partnered with Dawn for the project. There was no one he'd rather be with. He couldn't wait until Saturday. It'd just be him, Dawn alone at his house since his parents would be going out, and his two siblings would be going to a friend's house.

It all worked out perfectly.

However, he had to remind himself that Dawn was _only_ a _friend._ In addition, she belonged to Ash. Not him. However,...he'd been thinking otherwise ever since the events on Friday night between him and Dawn. It's difficult not to ponder about...especially when-

Kai's thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell rung. He removed the laptop from his lap, sitting it on the couch cushion next to him, and moved to the door to answer it.

His eyebrow raised in surprise seeing whom it was before a smirk curved his lips. "Drew, what are you doing here?" He stepped aside, allowing his friend to enter his home.

Drew strode casually into Kai's house with a knowing smile on his face as if it was the most normal thing to just show up randomly at Kai's house. Kai rolled his eyes at the ironic boy and shut the door behind him.

"I need to borrow your phone charger. I left mines at May's house," Drew said in a nonchalant manner. He walked over to the couch and plopped down on it, making himself quite comfortable.

The brown-eyed boy gave Drew a look while shaking his head, attempting not to laugh at his odd behavior. "Why don't you just to May's house and get it?" Kai had no problem with lending Drew his charger, he didn't mind, however, why wouldn't Drew simply drive to May's house and recover his charger? Could've been another reason to go over her house for a while.

Drew sighed heavily, flipping his hair in the short process. He was kind of expecting this non-significant question. "I just can't be bothered," he breathed out.

Kai unplugged his charging device from the wall and walked back over to Drew. He was pretty curious to what Drew meant by this so he pressed him for more information. "Can't be bothered to...pick up _your_ charger?" Kai studied Drew with curiosity, hiding the expression he really wanted to put on for asking a stupid question. He knew Drew couldn't be bothered to pick up his phone charger if he was picking up _Kai's._

"No...To just go see her. _Period._" Drew rolled his eyes dramatically when he finished his logical statement.

Kai held out his phone charger in his hand to which Drew gladly took. "She's your girlfriend, Drew. How could you say that? I thought you'd be happy to see your dearest May." Kai smiled. To take away from some seriousness, Kai made it into a little light joke.

Drew shook his head vigorously, ignoring Kai's attempted farce joke. He was being completely serious. Drew honestly had no desire to see his "girlfriend." "Na, I don't know what's wrong with her. And honestly, Kai," - Drew looked at his brown-eyed friend with a tinge of sadness in his clear emerald eyes - "I don't how much more I can take of _this._"

"Of what?" Kai asked getting serious, after realizing that Drew was in no mood to joke around.

"Our _relationship._" Drew dragged out the word slowly in a calm tone. Kai gave him an apologetic expression while Drew continued, "She's changed over these past weeks and it's affecting our relationship severely, man."

Kai thought. He _had _taken a noticed to May's bizarre behavior lately, as well. At least towards Dawn. He noticed that May doesn't really talk to Dawn as much anymore, or him for that matter, how she keeps her distance from them. In addition, he realized May has been quieter lately. And he sometimes caught her gazing at Ash - only a couple of times.

Kai wondered what that was about. It was pretty strange...

Had Drew noticed the same behavioral pattern?

"How has she changed?" Obviously, Kai already knew a few changes in her behavior, at least from his viewpoint. However, how has Drew? Maybe they've viewed different things.

Drew's lips pressed together as he shook his solemnly, thinking.

For some weeks now, May had changed; she wasn't being her usual self. She was acting different towards him. And because of her weirdness, her and Drew's relationship was starting to weaken. Drew thought about the things that did to cause him discontent in the relationship.

"Well," Drew began dryly, "for one, her attitude is getting bad. It seems like she's always mad at me for no reason, and she won't tell me what's wrong. So most of the time I just say eff it and leave her alone."

Suddenly, Kai remembered he, too, seen the brunette blow up on Drew at random times. He nodded his head, telling Drew mentally to continue.

"She _barely_ lets me kiss her anymore. She'll just push me away or turn her head. _She _acts as if she doesn't want me to touch her anymore." He used the word _she_ as if she wasn't important. Of course she was, however. He loved her. _She _was just pushing him to his limits and he didn't like this feeling. He didn't like what was going on, what was happening with their once flawless relationship.

Kai watched Drew. He'd never seen him upset before. He was so use to see Drew's cocky and self-absorbed attitude. He never thought he'd see Drew in such an unusual state of emotion. However, he understood why he was this way.

Kai shook his head as he tried to think of something to say. He wasn't really great at giving logical advice or responding accordingly to these kinds of situations. "Erm...have you tried talking to her and asking what's wrong? I'm sure there's a story behind her actions."

"I've tried to talk to her, but it never did any good because it only resulted in an argument. So I never got any straight answers from her."

Kai gazed lazily around the room. To him, Drew was dug down in _too _deep to get out the hole. Then again, Kai was unsure for himself. He'd never had this kind of problem before. He wanted to help Drew, but he didn't know how to or what to say. Obviously, staying quiet wouldn't make matters any better so Kai just said the first thing that came to mind. "I think you should keep trying to talk to her about it. If it doesn't work and she's still keeping up her unusual behavior...then call it quits."

The brown-eyed boy's last four words caused Drew to look at Kai incredulously. However, he transformed that incredulous stare into a sad expression. He knew Kai was right. He _would _have to maybe breakup with her if she didn't stop her ways. He wasn't sure if he could take much more of her mess. Not being able to touch your own girlfriend without being yelled at...not worth it.

Or was it? It's not as if it was all the time that she did it..._it was most of the time_, but May still had times that she would actually feel affectionate and she would come to Drew herself. He loved those moments. He missed them being _all the time _moments back when their relationship was perfect which wasn't even too long ago. He just wanted to know why she changed so quickly.

"I don't know," Drew breathed out. He hadn't noticed he'd been holding his breath up until then. "I'll...see what happens." Drew sighed inwardly. "You're lucky you don't have a girlfriend. You don't have to deal with this _stuff._"

"Trust me...you're not the only one with a problem."

Drew raised an eyebrow in suspension to what Kai meant. Therefore, he pressed on, "What do you mean? Everything alright?"

Kai shrugged his shoulders as he gazed blankly at the TV. He wished he could say everything was alright...but he couldn't. Not when he knew he was doing something wrong. Or that he _did _do something wrong. "Drew, have you ever liked a girl that already has a boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Drew answered simply. Actually, that has happened a lot in the past. And with him being _Drew _- handsome, slick, and irresistible - he was usually able to snag the girl.

"And her boyfriend...was your friend?"

This sparked Drew's interest. And now he was serious again. He'd liked his friend's girlfriends before, however that was in elementary when you were able to get away with stealing your friends' girlfriends. They'd just cry, say they weren't your friend, a few days become your friend again, and that'd be that. It would be forgotten that you'd stole your best friend's girl. Now, he'd grown out of that habit. It wasn't worth losing a _real _best friend such as Gary or Ash over a girl. Especially since the promise, they'd made when they first became best friends in sixth grade: _Never let a girl ruin their friendship._

So far, they have stuck to their word.

Suddenly, a thought dropped in Drew's mind. "You like one of your friend's girlfriends?" His voice was laced with surprise and his eyes were wide. He watched Kai reluctantly nod his head. "That's...not good. Do I know the couple?"

Kai didn't say anything. He just nodded his head again. He felt ashamed for doing such a thing. It just wasn't him, yet he couldn't control his feelings.

Drew's mind went haywire as he thought of various couples. He knew _many_ people who were in relationships at their school. However, exactly who could it be that was a couple? Kayla and Isaiah? Alexis and Anthony? Michael and Destiny? Dexter and Makayla? Cameron and Sabrina? _Gary and Leaf? Ash and Dawn? _Tyler and Megan? Elijah and Courtney?

While Drew was in the midst of thinking of more couples, his mind raced back to two particular couples. _Gary and Leaf and Ash and Dawn _"How well do I know them?" Drew asked slowly as his eyes began to flash with a tinge of worry. If it's who he thinks it is...than that would be bad.

"Very, _very _well," Kai answered. He felt his throat tighten as his words came out.

"Leaf or Dawn?" Drew asked bluntly. He wasted no time getting to the point. Kai said something, but it was incoherent. "What?"

"I like Dawn!" Kai finally admitted, this time loud enough. He felt his cheeks flush, they were on fire. He waited for Drew's response. He knew Drew was going to call him stupid and ask him multiple times how could he like his friend's girlfriend. He knew he'd tell Ash and then there'd be some trouble. Kai bit his lip as he stared at Drew.

Drew...his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He was surprised, but at the same time, he wasn't. It wasn't long until his mouth close and his lips curved slowly into an amused knowing grin. Yes, it was ironic to grin but Drew couldn't stop himself from doing it.

Kai's eyebrows furrowed. "_Why _are you smiling?" He asked incredulously.

"_Because_" - Drew emphasized the word for dramatic effect as he shrugged his shoulders - "I just kind of knew you liked her."

Kai's face displayed horror as his eyes widened in shock. Expecting Drew to already know was last on his list...well _last_ on his list was for Ash to know. "H-how do you know? Am I obvious?" His voice was a little shaky as he asked the last question. He hoped he wasn't obvious.

"_Not really_," Drew responded in a nonchalant tone. "I just kind of had a feeling. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

His words forced a sigh of relief to escape Kai's throat. _This_ was why he was closest to Drew. He trusted him the most.

Drew was quite curious, however. Guessing that Kai liked Dawn had been obvious _to him_. It was just something he simply picked up on as time passed. He just kept his mouth closed and shrugged it off as nothing serious, thinking it wasn't a big deal. Dawn's a very pretty girl...a lot of boys like her, but they get over once they realize they can't have her and that she only belongs to Ash Ketchum.

"So...what makes you liker her? I know she's pretty but..." Drew trailed off his incredulous sentence in hope that his friend would catch on and figure out what he meant.

Kai couldn't stop the color from running across his face. _Why didn't he like her_ was the question...

"She's just amazing. Her personality, attitude...everything about her is so..." Kai trailed off his sentence and smiled while his heartbeat sped up. Simply thinking of her caused his heart to flutter rapidly. He couldn't deny that he liked the annoying little feeling. However, he quickly wiped the smile off his face. He always forgets that's its _not _good. "Drew, this is bad. I can't like her...I tried not to, but I can't control how I feel." Kai sighed in stress. He just couldn't get the thought of liking someone's girlfriend out of his mind...and what went down between them.

Drew chuckled lightly at the seemingly helpless boy. "Kai, you are obviously stressing yourself, too much. It's not a big deal as long as Ash never finds out and as long as nothing happens between you two." He explained casually. Okay, Drew was taking this situation a little _too _optimistically and it was kind of driving Kai up a wall.

"What if something already happened between us?" Kai asked quietly.

One of Drew's eyebrows went up. "What happened?"

"It's nothing really big...but it should have never taken place." Drew nodded for him to continue for he was intently listening. Kai drew in a breath before releasing it in preparation for himself to begin explaining Friday night's _happenings_. He explained _everything_ that took place between him and Dawn on Friday while he made sure he added every single little detail. And he also informed Drew that he and Dawn were assigned a project together and that they'd be at his house _alone _on Saturday.

By the time he finished Drew's features showed how he was in complete shock.

"So...when you kissed her cheek...she did nothing? She didn't slap you or push you or anything?" Kai deliberately shook his head. "And...when you two were in those positions...she took it lightly?" Kai nodded his head in response. "Wow..."

Drew pondered. Those few things weren't big..._if_ she was single, however. Dawn wasn't single, however. He could agree, those few things should not have taken place and Dawn should not have..._liked _it. If she didn't do anything about than she must have liked it. Any other girl with a boyfriend would have been weirded out by the acts. However, as Kai was explaining, it didn't seem like Dawn was weirded out what so ever.

A thought hit Drew.

"Kai...have you ever thought that she might like you back? From what you said, it seems like she does."

Kai shrugged his shoulders in question. "Not really. I mean, I've thought about it...she flirts with me. I_ can _say that. But I just took it as fun. Two friends just flirting with each other for fun, you know?"

"True," Drew responded in a low tone. "But...she has a boyfriend. Flirting shouldn't be on her charts-"

"It shouldn't be on mines either," Kai interrupted desperately as he palmed his face with his hand.

"Okay, yeah...but she has a _boyfriend_. You _like_ her. It's hard not to flirt with a girl you like. But Dawn doesn't have to flirt back...if she was fully committed to Ash she wouldn't. Dude, I think she likes you."

"Which is bad." Kai sighed again for the umpteenth time that day. If it was true that Dawn really does like him...then that could be even worse. When two people act upon their feelings...the outcome isn't always good if one's in a relationship.

"Lo-" Before Drew could say what he wanted to say, his phone began vibrating continually in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and saw that his mom was calling. He rolled his eyes slightly and pressed ignore. She was most likely calling just to see where he was and tell him to come home since he had told her he'd be back in ten minutes. Plus, she'd call back again in a few minutes and that's when he would answer.

Drew began standing and Kai took the hint and stood as well. "Look, Kai, I'm on your side with this. This _is_ bad, but you can't control your feelings and neither can Dawn. But just try not to act on them...especially when she comes over this weekend. I would tell you to keep your distance from her...but I can't say that. You two are friends and honestly, I wouldn't do that either. I won't tell anyone _anything, __especially_ Ash."

Kai released a breath. "Thanks, man. The last thing I want to do is ruin Ash and Dawn's relationship." And that was true. Despite how much he liked her, he didn't want to be the reason why they break up. He'd be horribly ashamed if he were the cause of that. He'd never be able to forgive himself.

He walked Drew to the door.

"Ever need to talk again...than we can talk. Your secrets are safe with me." Drew smiled confidently as he gave his hair a wild flick.

"Gotcha," Kai said. He smiled and watched as Drew walked out of his house before quietly shutting the door.

His mind was swimming with thoughts. Assuming that Dawn actually likes him back put him on edge. The assumption could be very possible now that he realized it. She was mainly the one that started their flirting games. However, he did nothing to stop them. He liked their flirting. He liked when Dawn played around with his hair or playfully kicked his foot with his, starting a game of footsie under the table in class. He liked the way she smiled at him, the way she gazed at him, the way she hugged him, and the way she _sometimes _held his hand.

All of it was so warming. So inducing...

So _purposely _done.

Kai walked back to the couch and sunk down on it. The feelings he felt for her were just building and getting stronger. He hated it but liked it at the same time. This wasn't supposed to be happening. It can't happen...yet it was.

He hoped..._however_...he had this very little, vague feeling that things were about to go completely disastrous...

All because of him...

**x-x-x**

"Ugh!" Dawn groaned irritably as she crumpled up _another_ piece of paper and chucking it in her small, pink trash can in her room. She took another sheet of pristine white paper and began scribbling her pencil lightly across the paper.

She was currently trying to sketch the region of Unova before she actually drew it on the poster board, however it just was not working out for some reason. She sighed heavily once again, balling up and throwing _another_ piece of white lineless paper.

She'd restarted so many times that her miniature, dainty trash bin was overflowed with crumpled sheets of paper and now any piece she threw at the flooded bin rolled off the mountain of papers and land on the carpet with a small sound of wrinkled paper colliding roughly against the floor.

Finally, she gave up. The bluenette tossed her pencil aside, letting it roll and fall wherever it may, stood abruptly from her desk chair, and she stalked away from her pink desk, and strode over to her bed. She tossed her body carelessly on her bed, landing on her stomach and grabbing a pillow to bury her head in.

She sighed heavily in pure frustration.

Dawn laid on her bed for a few single seconds with her head buried in her soft, pink pillow before she jumped up hurriedly in surprise when she felt her stomach give up on her. She dashed out of her room and into the bathroom with her cheeks puffed out, fighting the urge to throw up before she made it to the toilet.

"Dawn?" The older bluenette called, hearing her daughter run to the bathroom in a hurry. She was only downstairs cleaning, when she heard hurried footsteps and Dawn...gag? Johanna made her way upstairs and into the bathroom, only to be taken aback seeing her daughter slumped against the toilet, heaving. Immediately, Johanna moved over to her daughter and bent down so she could rub Dawn's back in comfort. "Dawn, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Dawn slowly stood up and looked at her mom with weak, watery eyes. "I'm fine, mom," she said quietly.

Johanna looked at Dawn, then the toilet, and back at Dawn. "You can't be, honey. You just threw up. Didn't you throw up this morning, too?" The older woman was worried for her daughter. She pressed the back of her hand on Dawn's forehead to make sure she didn't have a temperature. "You're not warm-"

"Mom! I'm fine!" Dawn snapped, suddenly. However, she quickly regretted when she saw the terrifying look in her moms eyes. Dawn opened her mouth as if she was about to say something - she was - but no words came out. Instead, she put her head down and past by her mother to leave the bathroom. Dawn retreated in her room and closed the door behind her, locking it.

Of course she didn't mean to yell at her mother like that, but...it just happened almost by itself.

Dawn paced back and fourth in her room for a few seconds before she sat on her bed, tears brimming in her eyes. She had to tell someone...she had to get _everything _off her mind. She had to tell someone what she found out a couple of days ago.

And right now...her mother was not it.

The bluenette picked up her phone from her night stand and immediately dialed a certain number. She waited a few rings until finally the person picked up and said hello. "Leaf?" Dawn said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and said more clearly, "Can you meet me at the park by my house in five minutes?"

"Yeah," Leaf answered in an unsure tone. "Is everything okay?"

"I'll explain at the park."

"Okay...well, I'm on my way right now." Dawn could hear Leaf stirring around. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay." was Dawn's response before she ended the call.

Dawn slipped on a pair of sandals and unlocked her door before she walked out her room, quietly. Her mom must have went back downstairs because the bathroom light was turned off. She went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth quickly.

Dawn walked down the stairs cautiously. She didn't see her mom around, so she simply shrugged her shoulders and walked towards the front door.

"Where are you going?"

Dawn stopped in her tracks and turned around to see her mother watching her intently with a box in her arms. "O-oh, I'll be back." Dawn quivered slightly. "I just need some fresh air."

Johanna sat the box down and sighed. "Okay, Dawn. Just don't be gone too long, alright?" A small smile curved Dawn's lips as she nodded her head. "I'm just worried about you, Dawn."

The younger bluenette directed her eyes to the box beside her mom and bit gently on her bottom lip. She knew her mom was referring to when she yelled at her just a few minutes ago when Johanna tried to help her.

Her jeweled eyes glistened as if she was as though she was going to burst into tears. "I know.. I'll be back later, mom." And with that, Dawn slowly turned around and walked out of the house.

Johanna sighed, watching her daughter go. She knew her daughter like a book, as all mothers should, and she knew something was wrong with her daughter. She knew Dawn wouldn't snap at her so suddenly or leave out the house like that if there weren't anything wrong. She didn't know exactly why Dawn was so upset, but she had a pretty vague idea. The only thing she was questioning was Dawn throwing up. That really worried her because she was thinking the unthinkable happened.

However, Johanna wouldn't jump to conclusions...yet. She would just wait until Dawn talked to her about whatever's going on with her. She won't force her to tell her anything she wasn't ready too. She knew how that felt and she promised herself to never force her daughter to talk about something she wasn't quite ready to talk about yet.

The woman sighed one more time before she walked back down into the basement to retrieve more boxes.

She just hoped whatever her daughter was going through, she told her soon. It was heartbreaking seeing Dawn upset...especially knowing she could possibly help.

**...**

Dawn's house didn't have a covered porch, so whenever she or someone else left the house, they were immediately exposed to the elements. As Dawn stepped onto the front walk, she could feel the sun's intensity slowly easing just a smidge as afternoon began the slow turn into evening.

A breeze kicked up and blew her hair. The breeze was cool and it provided relief from the heat. However, it moved around the sickening smell of sun-scorched grass. She wished she could go back to her settled home and escape the outside. But she _needed _to talk to Leaf.

And she wouldn't turn back until she did.

Kids in the house next door were outside screaming as they took turns hurdling their sprinkler. Their skinny little shoulders were tanned from the sun and they were barefoot as they ran across their greenish-brown lawn. It was so dry that it crunched under their feet.

As she walked and thought, she absorbed her surroundings like a sponge, enjoying the shade from the trees lining the sidewalk. She loved her neighborhood. It was calm and quiet with friendly people inhabiting every single house. The houses were big and beautiful, painted artistically with delicate colors. It was just something special about her neighborhood that had her drawn to it so much.

Dawn wandered until she reached the street she had to cross to get to the park. Dawn cautiously looked both ways for any incoming traffic. Seeing that the coast was clear, she trudged across the street.

The park was quiet. Surprisingly there were only two little kids at the park, swinging on the swings. Usually the park would be buzzing with kids from around her neighborhood. However, Dawn wasn't complaining. She'd rather it be a serene environment, anyway, rather than one teaming with tons of elementary kids.

The bluenette spotted her best friend residing calmly on a nearby park bench. She breathed out and proceeded to walk over to her.

Leaf was waiting patiently for the bluenette. She was watching the two little kids play on the worn swing set. They were two little girls who both had long, blonde curls. Leaf smiled warmly at the two kids. They had to be no more than ten years old.

The brunette shifted her gaze when she heard footsteps approach. She scooted over on the plastic bench and lightly patted the hard bench beside her, motioning for Dawn to sit.

Dawn took the signal and sat down. Immediately she began to tense up.

"So, Dawn, what's up? What do you have to talk to me about?" Leaf looked at Dawn, her gaze sincere. Dawn was busy studying her hands in her lap. Then a small tear ran down her cheek. "Dawn, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Leaf asked in a worried tone, putting her hand on Dawn's hand.

Dawn wiped the tear and stared calmly down in her lap. Slowly, she raised her head to meet Leaf's warm gaze. "Leaf..." Dawn's voice was shaky and low. She tried to find her words and place them in a proper sentence. She knew _what _she wanted to say, but _how_ to say it was the problem. The bluenette didn't know why it was so hard to get it out _now _when she said it so easily before.

She had told May.

Maybe it was hard to say it now because it was much more serious than it was a few weeks ago. _It _progressed and grew deeper. She couldn't help it, though.

"I-I like Kai," Dawn choked out.

Leaf's mouth dropped open to form a perfect O and her russet eyes went wide. Her features exhibited her obvious shock as she stared at the waiting bluenette. Leaf slowly closed her mouth, but the shock was still evident.

Instantly, she thought back to what May informed her of about Dawn. So May _wasn't _lying about everything she said. Or at least about Dawn having feelings for Kai. The rest, Leaf thought she'd find out in a few simple minutes. She still hadn't pushed the thought out of her head that May could also be exaggerating.

The brunette was speechless and she knew Dawn was waiting for some kind of reaction. Her mind just couldn't process anything for her to say. What could she say? Her best friend just told her she likes another guy - _herself_ - and she has a boyfriend, Ash. Sure, she was waiting for some kind of talk with Dawn, but not _this. _This was mind-blowing. Leaf didn't expect Dawn to like Kai. She didn't want to believe what May informed her of, honestly.

However, now she heard it straight from the source. She had no choice but to start believing the things May told her.

Now that Dawn confessed _herself_ she continued. And it looked to her as if Leaf wasn't going to say anything anytime soon, so she went on. "I like him a lot. It used to be a simple crush, but now...I _really_ like him, Leaf. And it's really driving me crazy to have these feelings! I'm not supposed to have them - I have a boyfriend, Leaf. I _know_ I'm wrong, I know, but I just can't control it. These feelings...they feel _so _right, but I - as a whole - feel so wrong about it."

Dawn stopped talking and turned her head away from Leaf before she continued. "I just don't know what to do about this. I feel so bad because...I'm not being fair to Ash. I love him so much, but I feel like I'm causing our relationship to fade. Our relationship hasn't been the same ever since I've started liking Kai. It's like my feelings for Kai is just clouding everything. And it's _really _annoying me, Leaf. I don't want to lose my relationship with Ash...but it seems like that's what's going to happen."

The bluenette allowed a tear drop to trail down her face.

Leaf stared at her best friend with worried eyes. Dawn seemed stressed out. And it was clear that she needed some advice or she would've never came to her. "Hm, Dawn, do you still love Ash?" Leaf asked with all seriousness in her voice.

"Of course, I do," Dawn answered quickly. "_Why_ would you ask that?"

"I asked because if you feel like you liking Kai is disrupting you and Ash's relationship then there's a problem. Love is strong and if you _really _loved Ash, nothing will change your relationship with him. And I mean absolutely nothing." Leaf looked Dawn in the eyes. "I don't want you to force yourself to love him."

Leaf's strong powered words forced Dawn to think again. Her best friend was right. If she really loved Ash, then she wouldn't be having these feelings for Kai. Their relationship would be flawless like before. But...if that's true then where'd all her love for him go?

"I'm going to ask you again," Leaf said boring her eyes into Dawn's. She was willing to her help her best friend, however, she needed to get to the bottom of things first. "Do you still love Ash?" She could see Dawn's eyes shining from tears welling up in her eyes.

"I-I do...but not how I used to." And that was an honest answer. She felt like a _huge _chunk of her love for Ash disappeared.

Leaf let out a breath. It hurt her to hear Dawn say that. Leaf was aware of how much Ash loved Dawn and for her to say that was heartbreaking. Dawn was sobbing quietly and Leaf put her arms around her for comfort. She felt bad for her best friend. She could tell she was heartbroken herself.

"Dawn," Leaf said quietly and softly. "You have to stop crying. Like you said, you can't control your feelings. It's not your fault you like Kai...but really, Dawn, you _didn't_ have to act on your feelings, which it seemed like you did since you were flirting with him purposely a lot. That, I think you bestowed upon yourself. Look at me." Leaf took her arms from around the bluenette and looked at her.

Dawn's eyes were slightly red from her crying.

"It's _your_ job to talk to Ash. Tell him how you're feeling about him and your relationship. You might even have to tell him that you like Kai." Dawn's eyes went wide and she began shaking her head in horror, however Leaf continued feebly. "You need to, Dawn. Or else you'll be hurting him _if_ you're not already. I'm not saying you have to do it now or anything, but you have to do it soon. And who knows? You two might need to just have a long talk about your relationship. If you feel like your relationship is fading, then I _know_ he feels the same. Talking could help you guys get back on track again. But first, I think you might need to try and stay _only_ on _friend _terms with Kai. That seems to be the main reason."

Dawn sniffled and nodded her head. She understood what Leaf was saying. She didn't want to hurt Ash. Therefore, she has to talk to him even if it's a risk of losing their relationship. However, as Leaf told her, she needed to stay on friend terms with Kai. Which meant no more excessive flirting. That would hopefully help get rid of some of her feelings for Kai. But it wasn't just the flirting that made her like Kai. It was also his smile, eyes, personality. Just him as a whole. He just had that kind of effect on her.

Suddenly Dawn felt a wave of nausea consume her, which reminded her clearly of something else she had to tell Leaf. This was something she wanted Ash to be informed of first since _it_ would affect him the most - besides Dawn - but the bluenette wasn't ready to tell Ash, especially now.. She was unsure of how he would take it and his reaction is what made her nervous to break the news to him.

She wanted to tell someone, however - they'd find out pretty soon anyways. And her best friend, Leaf, was just the right person.

Dawn breathed inwardly as she bored her cobalt colored eyes into Leaf's auburn ones, as she prepared herself mentally to explain her predicament.

_"Leaf there's something else I need to tell you..."_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: :D And finished. I must ask this...Did Ash going to college escape your mind? :p Honest answer only! <strong>

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :) I'm pleased with this chapter and how it turned out despite how difficult it was to write. I'm not good with advice so that's why this chapter was challenging, especially since I haven't gone through any of it xD but, I think I did fine with it, however :) Oh and how was the ending? :o like did I switch over from one thing to another to quick? Should I add more of Leaf's and Dawn's conversation? I feel like I should...but when I read over it, it seemed fine...but what do you think about that? Just let me know. :)**

**Okay, no questions for this chapter other than the two small ones. I just want you guys to review how you'd like. Anything that's on your mind from this chapter xD**  
><strong>And, okay, I have <em>one<em> question. Which is...Dawn's secret? What do _you _think it is? I dropped some hints...so...shouldn't be hard to guess what her second secret or confession is. I ended it with her saying that to Leaf for a reason ;) and you guys might hate me when I tell you this, but...you won't actually know exactly what it is until maybe like...three more chapters? :o Not sure exactly, but it will be three or more. So whatever you have in mind that it is...don't forget it. Kapeesh? :)**

**Hm...next chapter is a time skip to Ash and Dawn's date. _Saturday._ Also the day Dawn and Kai are supposed to work on their project...hm...how on Earth will that work? :o You will just have to wait ;)**  
><strong>And I'm sorry to say this but, I don't think the next chapter will be up anytime soon simply because as you know these chapters are getting long and the longer they are, the longer it takes for me to write. And I'm sure next chapter will be long...but I don't know how long. And I have to get surgery on June 18th. That's, like, less than a month away x.x and I am dreading it! And this chapter took me almost another month to finish...so imagine the next chapter. :**  
><strong>However~ I am going to try my hardest to work on that chapter as much as I can before that stupid day -.- Hopefully I can get it out before then :) just keep your toes and fingers crossed.<strong>  
><strong>You can keep up with how I'm doing with the next chapter...or any chapter of any of my stories for that matter on Twitter, if you have one. I've made one specifically for my FF account, for you guys. So follow me if you'd like...I follow back also :)<strong>

**https: / / twitter . com/#!/FF_Angelcutepie  
>(Remove the spaces)<br>**

**So~ with that said...please review (: and I will hopefully see you guys soon!**

**- Angel ^_***


	15. Date or ?

**Author's Notes: :D I'm quick to update ;) but~ only because 1. This chapter is short, obviously and 2. This chapter was going to be much~ longer, but I stopped it at a certain point...so you guys might not like it :p but whatever, I felt like being evil ;) So chapter 16 would've actually been a part of this chapter, but it's not...obviously.**

**Oh yeah, I'm going to do this now...I'm sorry if this chapter seems rushed. Trust me, I _did_ _not_rush in writing this. But I don't know why I feel that way x.x I think it's because this chapter is so short and the last few chapters have been really long. So I'm finally just getting to the point in this chapter...maybe that's why I think it seems rushed? o.O I'm not sure. But, would you guys mind telling me if it seems rushed to you? I'd really appreciate it :)**

**Okay, so I'll, like, let you guys read now :p I really~ hope you all enjoy this chapter x.x *fingers crossed***

* * *

><p>For the remainder of the week, the school days were long and awkward. Strangely, whenever the group of "friends" got together there was a thick coat of tension hanging around them. They barely spoke to one another. In fact, at the lunch table, it was pretty much a disturbing silence for thirty minutes - the entire lunch shift.<p>

Maybe...just no one had anything to say...

To each other.

Usually, Drew would talk with arrogance and flaunt his good looks with a flick of his hair. However, he hadn't done much of either the whole week. He had been thinking too much of his relationship with May to bother to do any of his usual actions. Of course, she had been acting the same way, nothing got better with her. It actually seemed worse.

She barely spoke to him the whole week and he had no idea why she hadn't. When he attempted to make conversation with her, she'd only give him one word answers and would look away from him. When he tried to hold her or kiss her, she'd get mad and push him away. Drew didn't even bother asking her what was wrong, because he knew it wouldn't work. He was really growing tired of her behavior.

He was heavily thinking of breaking up with her...

Kai had been exceptionally quiet the whole week, as well. He'd talked with everyone throughout the week, but they hadn't talked long or held a decent conversation. It was usually short and to the point. He had been trying to keep his mind off Dawn for the past week; however, he found it hard to. He tried to tell himself that she was _Ash's girlfriend _so he shouldn't be thinking about his friend's girl. But, that didn't work. His mind would always wander back to her.

He wished those feelings would just go away. He wished he never had them in the first place. He even tried limiting his conversations with her. That actually worked being that she was just as quiet this week. He only talked to her about the project and to see if they were still going to be able to work on the project at his house on Saturday and Sunday. However, that was everyday that they talked about the project and when he asked her. The conversations were still limited, however. Unfortunately, that didn't remove any feelings he felt for the bluenette.

After seeing everyone else quiet, Leaf and Gary kept to themselves, too. They had no idea why everyone was quiet, however neither of them bothered to ask. The couple didn't even bother to discuss the matter with each other. They just brushed it off and let the silence amongst everyone continue.

Leaf was thinking how Dawn would handle her relationship with Ash. However, now, after what Dawn revealed to her, she was more than sure that their relationship would be gone. There was just no way.

Gary had been thinking about everything Ash told him. He felt bad for his best friend. Having a dwindling relationship with the person you truly loved had to be bad. Well, he _knew _it was bad and painful to deal with. He could only hope that when he shed some light with Dawn, everything worked out for them. Their relationship was just to precious to be gone. And hopefully, if the talk was successful, Ash would change his mind about attending college.

Ash's mind had been too far gone to hold a proper conversation with anyone. He barely talked to his friends, even his _"girlfriend."_ They really only spoke to each other if one of them brought up their anniversary. Other than that, they hadn't exchanged many words with one another.

He was reminiscing about how his relationship had been so golden. Now, it was the complete opposite. He didn't want to let Dawn go, but he would have to if his relationship with Dawn didn't get back on the right track. Maybe he stayed so distant from her, well everyone for that matter, because he just needed to think about this. Get himself prepared for their upcoming date Saturday - hopefully things went well. If not, then he would definitely be off to college.

Dawn hadn't bothered talking much after Monday, when she had her conversation with Leaf. She was relieved to tell Leaf everything, however it still remained heavy on her mind. She did what Leaf told her to do which was to stay on _friend _terms with Kai. The whole week, she hadn't talked to him too much unless they talked about the project _only_, which meant there was no flirting at all. Which was good; a progress. She wanted to be faithful to Ash, however the feelings she had for him were slowly fading and the feelings she had for Kai were slowly rising. Therefore, it was hard not to flirt with him.

She could say that it had been hard forcing herself not to talk to Kai much. But it was good for her. She wanted _all _of her feelings for Ash to come back and stay. But, she couldn't force herself to love him. She has to let the feelings come back by themselves...if it was possible at this point.

On the bright side, at least she wasn't throwing up anymore or having anymore stomach pains. Monday, her stomach was just very upset, but after taking some medicine that night she felt much better Tuesday morning. She hadn't thrown up since or felt a single tinge of pain in her stomach.

Dawn glanced at the clock.

She was due over at Kai's house in ten minutes. She had informed Kai that she would come over early - six O'clock since she was going out with Ash tonight. She wasn't exactly sure what time Ash was supposed to pick her up, but she told Kai she'd only be able to stay for an hour so she could get back home to primp and get herself ready.

Despite Ash not telling her what time he'd be at her house, she guessed Ash would pick her up around eight. It was a perfect time. Six was much to early and seven also seemed early. Therefore, that made eight O'clock perfectly suitable. Ash had only texted her roughly about an ago to tell her to wear something formal. He gave no more details than that.

Dawn looked at herself in her full-length mirror before she grabbed her phone and walked out of her room, being very pleased with herself.

The dress she wore featured a floral body with various colors such as red orange - which stuck out the most - light orange, yellow, a little bit of purple and pink outlining a few of the flowers, light blue in some of the flowers' petals, and the base color being a soft creme shade. There was a scooped neckline with laced trim and a buttoned front, spaghetti straps, cinch waist, and a crochet bottom hem.

To cover her exposed shoulders, Dawn wore a very cute cropped light washed denim jacket, which had a notch collar, snap button front closure with one chest pocket on either side. Sandals adorned her feet; a sea foam colored braided T-strap stlye. The blue color captured the light blue in her dress perfectly. Finally, to complete her look, she added a pair of real diamond stud earrings, a gift from Ash last year on Valentine's Day.

Dawn walked into her mother's room to let her know she was about to depart. Johanna was cleaning off her dresser and putting a few things in boxes.

"Mom, I'm about to leave," Dawn said as she watched her mom put a few of her perfume bottles in a small brown box. Dawn sighed seeing her do this. She _should _be doing the same...but she couldn't be bothered to do something she _didn't_ want to do. However, she knew she'd have to soon. She had no choice.

"Ok-" Johanna brought her sentence to an abrupt stop when she turned around and saw her daughter. An unsure smile graced her lips as she said, "You look very cute. Maybe a little _too _cute to only be working on a project."

The older woman was well aware of Dawn going to Kai's house for a while to work on the project. Dawn had told her a few days ago. Johanna was rather skeptical about the idea, though. She didn't know this _other_ boy, Kai. In addition, she wondered if Ash knew about Dawn going over to Kai's house. And if he did know, then she wondered if he was alright with the idea. She never bothered to ask, though.

Dawn gave her mom a look while blush ran across her cheeks. "Mom~"

"I'm just saying, Dawn." Johanna shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Don't you think that's a bit too dressy?" The older woman eyed her daughter's choice of clothing again with an eyebrow raised incredulously.

The younger bluenette folded her arms across her chest, huffing in the process while also rolling her eyes at her mom's insolent words. "It's only a dress, mom. Nothing special." Dawn hoped her mother didn't think she was going to Kai's house for any other reason than _only _working on the project. Because if she did, well it wasn't true. Dawn promised herself that she wouldn't flirt with Kai what so ever while over his house. Going to his house was strictly business.

And she tried her best to keep that locked in her head.

Johanna sighed inwardly while shaking her head slightly. She wasn't going to argue with her daughter, so she decided to change the subject. She already knew she wouldn't get Dawn to agree with her. "Do you know what time Ash is supposed to pick you up?"

Dawn shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "I don't know. He didn't say - he only texted me a while ago to wear something formal," Dawn explained briefly in a nonchalant kind of tone. She wasn't sure why she sounded that way, though...

Johanna raised her eyebrow in much curiosity to Dawn's response. "Well~ don't you think you should maybe _call _him to see what time he's picking you up since you aren't sure for yourself? What if he's about to pick you up and you're at that boy's house?"

Dawn shook her head. She already knew that wouldn't happen. In her pretty little head, she had the time schedule figured out. "He'll pick me up at eight. Six is too early for anything. Seven is still too early. So that leaves eight. It's a perfect time. It's not too late or early," Dawn said with a confident smile on her face. "So, I'll go to Kai's house to work on the project for an hour. I'll be back at home by seven, which gives me an hour to get myself ready. And at eight, Ash should be here. Makes sense, right?"

"I guess so, Dawn," Johanna breathed out, unsure of her daughter's plan. Something about it just didn't seem right to her. However, she wasn't going to press on about it. She just said simply, "I still think you should call Ash to really find out when he'll be here."

Dawn smirked and waved her hand in dismissal to her mother's suggestion. Why would she need to do that when she had everything mapped out so perfectly already? "I should probably get going now. I'll be back in an hour." Dawn turned swiftly on her heel and began walking down the hall, making her way to the stairs.

"Be careful driving, Dawn!" Johanna added quickly, remembering that Dawn was driving to the boy's house. Her daughter only had her learner's permit and whenever she went driving, she was supposed to have an adult present in the car with her until she obtained her full license. Johanna would have drove Dawn herself or rode along with her, but she had too much to do - packing and cleaning to be more specific.

She trusted Dawn on the road. She knew her daughter was a safe driver - very safe and very cautious. Therefore, she had no problem with Dawn driving by herself despite it being against the law. Plus, no one would know she was an under aged driver unless the police pulled her over for some strange reason, which was highly unlikely to happen.

"Okay!" Dawn shouted to her mother from halfway down the stairs.

Once downstairs, the blue-haired girl gave herself one last appearance check in the little mirror hanging on the wall for extra decoration - which would be taken down soon - and flicked her hair swiftly over her shoulder in much satisfaction.

She was ready to go.

Dawn picked up her mother's car keys from off a little table and started for the door. When she opened the door, she was in for a _huge_ shock. Her heartbeat sped up, beating three times faster than it should be, her eyes widened with surprise, rivaling the size of quarters, and her mouth fell open quivering slightly as she tried to form a logical sentence.

_Or explanation..._

There _he_ stood clad in his perfect evening attire with a lovely smile placed permanently on his face, fresh cologne emitting from him, giving him that attractive manly smell and a bunch of delicate, healthy, and sweet red roses held firmly in his grasp.

He looked as serene as ever - opposite from Dawn.

Finally, Dawn spoke, though she couldn't really hear herself from the pounding in her ears.

"Ash," she gasped out in a quiet, low voice.

**x-x-x**

Ash sighed, pressing his phone screen to end a call for the fourth time. Maybe fifth or sixth? Possibly even more. Count had been lost after three calls he had made to Dawn.

He had been trying to get in contact with his girlfriend for the past twenty minutes to let her know he was on the way to pick her up. He even tried texting her, but she hadn't responded. She had only texted him back "okay" when he told her to wear something formal for their date. That was the last time he had heard from her.

Maybe she was busy getting ready for their date. However...if she were, she still would've heard her phone ringing or looked at it at for new notifications at one point.

Ash just decided to go ahead and head over to her house. His guess was that she was too busy getting ready to pay attention to her phone right now. Hopefully, when he arrived at her house, she'd be ready. He knew how it took her forever to get all perfectly dressed up.

Before Ash slid out of his room, he double-checked in the mirror first. He smiled brilliantly at his choice of clothing; his formal wear. He had on a sophisticated dark blue, long sleeved, button up dress shirt that had a pearly white color to match the few buttons on the shirt and a handy pocket stitched creatively on the left breast. His formal shirt was tucked neatly into his black dress pants with a black belt in the belt loops to keep the pants properly on his waist. And to put the finishing touches to his formal attire, his feet wore adorned in black dress shoes.

Tonight, he wouldn't wear his hat. His hair was still standing up in it's usual style of all over the place even after he attempted to slick it down with some hair product Gary let Ash borrow. His hair just refused to lie flat. However, he didn't mind much. He liked his hair just the way it was.

He gave himself one last overlook before smirking and walking out of his room and down the stairs. "Mom, I'm about to leave," Ash said as he peeked his head through the doorway to the kitchen where his mom was currently positioned.

Delia smiled warmly at her son and walked over to him to get a better look at him. "My, my, Ashy, don't you look handsome," Delia mused causing Ash to blush.

Ash knew what was coming, so he tried to make a quick attempt to leave before she could start embarrassing him. Ash grinned sheepishly and said, "Thanks mom, but I-" However, he was cut off when his mom began making sure his shirt was in place.

"Ash, you could have done something with your hair," Delia scolded Ash as she attempted to force his black locks to lie down. "I'm sure Dawn doesn't want your hair all over the place."

"Mom~" Ash whined, swatting his mother's annoying hands away from his hair, trying to get her to stop. She always tended to complain about this hair. Which he couldn't understand why because it was _his_ hair on_ his _head. She wasn't the one that had to wear her hair like that. Besides, Ash liked his hair just the way it was. He wouldn't change it for anything.

"And I told you multiple times Ash Ketchum to straighten your eyebrows. Your eyebrows are very wild." The brown-haired woman licked her thumb, getting prepared to smooth Ash's eyebrows out. She hated seeing his eyebrows all over the place. Why couldn't he just take the time and rub his finger over them to lay them down properly? She just didn't get it.

Ash dodged her incoming thumb quickly before she could fix his eyebrows. "Mom~ I'm a guy. I don't care about my eyebrows," Ash whined. Red color was very apparent on his face. He was so happy that no one was there to witness his embarrassment.

Delia placed her hands effectively on her hips with a small forwn curving her lips. "Well, you should. Did you at least change your-"

"Mom!" Ash cried before she was able to finish. He already knew what she was going to say and he did not want those words escaping her mouth. Ash hated when she asked him that. It was always embarrassing. Ash sighed inwardly while thinking why did he have to have such an embarrassing mother.

"You know I'm just kidding with you, Ash," Delia said while she laughed at her son's embarrassment. "I know you hate when I do this, but I just want to make sure you're ready to go."

Ash released a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I know, mom, but I am capable of taking care of myself, you know."

"I know, honey, but a mother can never be so sure. A mother's instinct." The lovely woman smiled warmly at her son in reassurance. She knew her son hated when she gave him a little extra attention, but she could never contain herself. He was her only son and she cared for him a lot. What mother could resist giving her only son some attention, despite how much they despised it. "I think you look very handsome, Ash. Dawn will be flustered when she sees you. Now get going. It's rude picking your girlfriend up late."

"Right," Ash said skeptically. Ash picked up the bouquet of roses he'd gotten for Dawn and started for the door with Delia trailing behind him with a dazed smile on her face. "Bye mom," the raven-haired boy called on his way out the door.

"Bye, Ash! Have fun tonight! Tell Dawn I said hi! Oh, and be careful!" Delia smiled as she watched her son get into his car and honk the horn at her before he drove off.

Once he was out of sight, she smiled in content. She simply loved Ash and Dawn's wonderful relationship.

She'd be devastated if anything happened to them.

As Ash drove steadily to Dawn's house, nervousness grew inside of him. He wondered how their evening would go. He was still going to talk to her after their date, as Gary told him to do, but he still wanted them to have a good time...if it was possible. Ash just tried to push the thoughts of their unsteady relationship out of his head right now. For the sake of evening, at least. However, this was nothing he could ignore so easily.

His fingers tapped the steering wheel anxiously in a light rhythmic motion as drove.

Soon, he was in Dawn's driveway. Ash turned the car off and removed the key from the ignition. He breathed in then exhaled slowly before he carefully picked up the beautiful flowers and got out of the car.

Ash took long nervous strides to her door. He straightened his clothes to be sure they were properly in place and put a smile on his face. As soon as he was about to ring the doorbell, the door flung open, revealing Dawn.

Her reaction caught him off guard. Her beautiful blue eyes went from dainty little things to wide circles. Her jaw dropped in surprise, making her seem speechless. He wondered why she appeared so baffled to see him.

Finally, after she gathered herself, she said his name. _"Ash." _He heard a gasp escape her throat as she said his name.

And right then - by the way she sounded - that let him know that she wasn't expecting him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: o.O So...this won't be good. Ash picks Dawn up early...but she's not ready and about to go to Kai's house. I can't say much right now without giving anything away xD So you'll just have to wait until next chapter to see how things go ;) but any guesses are welcome :) I love when you guys try to guess what happens next.<strong>

**Ah...so many of you _thought_ Dawn was pregnant, huh? Well no :p Her stomach was just feeling horrible Monday. We've all had that day once before :p But anyways, yeah, I wouldn't make ****the hints _that_ obvious :p That wouldn't even be a hint...just a dead give away -.- Don't always take what's lying in the open ;)  
>Haha...but there were some hints of Dawn's secret in this chapter. More than last chapter...so I guess I'll see who caught them ;)<strong>

**Well, I hope this chapter was good enough :) I honestly feel like something's wrong with this chapter /: I've re-read it multiple times, but I just can't pinpoint it...maybe it's just me o.O I hope it is xD But please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter ;)**

**The next chapter has already been started ;) It won't be too long. I'll say it might be about 5,000 words, maybe a little more, maybe a little less...therefore it shouldn't take long for me to complete :D but~ I'm making no promises. So don't hold me against anything xD**

**I'll see you guys next time, hopefully soon :) Please~ review ^.^**

**- Angel ... (:**


	16. What Happened to Us?

**Author's Notes: Wow~ It feels like it's been a while since I've updated, but it was only about two weeks ago :p I won't spend much time talking because I know you guys are ready to read and because I'm very sleepy (as of now it is 2:22 a.m.). So, I would like to thank everyone that reviewed last chapter :D Much, much appreciated! I love receiving you alls reviews :D so thank you so much!**

**Uh...that's all xD Uh... Oh! I have proof-read this chapter, but there might be some mistakes, because like I said, I am very sleepy and I had to re-read this whole thing from like 1:30 to now, so about an hour and my mind is kind of... blah right now. So hopefully, there is not mistakes and if there is, hopefully it's something simple to by pass and nothing major. If anyone says there are mistakes I will be sure to properly go back through this chapter tomorrow (or today, rather) and fix them :)**

**Thank you for your cooperation xD Now~ let the _crazy_ chapter BEGIN!**

* * *

><p>Ash took a few chaste seconds to find something to say. Then his eyes traveled down to Dawn's attire, which was much different from his. But, not in a girlboy type of clothing difference. In _type_ of clothing, there was a difference. He was dressed in formal attire. Dawn was dressed in what looked like _casual _clothing.

Opposite of what he had told her to wear. Hadn't she received his text, telling her to wear something formal, elegant? Of course she had! She texted him back!

So...exactly _why _wasn't she dressed properly?

The ebony-haired boy eyed Dawn up and down - studying her outfit with lingering eyes - before his brown orbs locked back to her stunned azure ones.

"Uh..." Ash got out weakly with confusion coloring his voice. "You aren't really dressed...you know - properly." Ash lowered his arm - the hand holding the roses out for her.

Dawn hadn't said anything. She simply blinked, dumbfounded.

Therefore, Ash continued you speak. "I mean...you look _great, _but..." he trailed off his sentence in a blank state and breathed out in heavy frustration. The bluenette still hadn't uttered a word. She'd only said his name and now it was as if she had frozen.

Ash didn't know what the problem was. Here he was, picking her up for their evening out and she wasn't dressed. He didn't know how he should handle this situation. They were due at the restaurant in Cerulean City in forty-five minutes. It would take at least thirty-five minutes to get there. It was obvious Dawn _had _to change, but there wasn't enough time. The restaurant he booked their dinner reservation at was very prestigious. He knew from past experiences, if you were late to show up for your reservation, then you would lose that reservation and wouldn't be able to eat.

However, why wasn't she dressed in the first place?

Dawn bit down on her bottom lip and moved a bit causing the car keys in her hands to jingle. Ash's eyes darted towards her hand with keys. He squinted his brown eyes in confusion. He wondered why she had keys in her hand. Was she going somewhere? As far as he knew, she wasn't allowed to be behind the wheel without someone eligible, anyways.

Then, Ash unsquinted his eyes - they opened just a bit larger than normal as he finally put two and two together. Dawn was steady holding car keys in her hand. When he walked up to the door, it flew open as if she was about to walk out of the house. She _wasn't _dressed in formal attire.

She was...leaving? Going somewhere? But...where?

"Dawn, what's going on?" Ash asked cautiously, eyeing her suspiciously as if he was waiting for her to make any movement. Almost as if he was _daring _her to move.

"U-uh..." Dawn said nervously. She could tell by the expression and hard glint in Ash's eyes that she'd better start talking pronto. Her heart beat sped up even more - so fast that she was sure it was unhealthy for a heart to be beating that fast and hard in someone's body. She chose her next words carefully, "I-I'm about to go somewhere."

Ash's eyes took a slit position as he said, _"Where?"_

The sound of his voice was enough to cause Dawn to jump, but she didn't - it _did _make her stake a small step back, however. The word dropped off Ash's tongue with venom coating the entire thing. He was more than mad, at this moment.

Dawn gathered herself before she spoke. She could see clearly that he was angry with her. And what she was going to say next would not enlighten his mood. That she knew. But, to her defense...she didn't know he'd show up this early. However, Dawn didn't stop that excuse from causing her to grow nervous as every short second flew by. "I was going to a_ friend's _house." She shifted her weight from one of her legs to the other nervously and added quickly after seeing the look on Ash's face, "F-for a project."

Right about now, Dawn didn't know which would be worse to Ash. The fact that she was leaving and he was there to pick her up or that he would find out exactly whose house she was going to. Dawn knew he would ask _whose _house she was going over, it was bound to happen. She had a vague idea of which he'd blow up more over. This wasn't going to end well, that was a fact. Thinking about it made her eyes sting from building tears.

"Oh~" Ash said calmly. A little _too _calm for Dawn's taste. However, what she didn't know was that Ash was far from calm. "So...you're just ditching me and our planned out evening to go to a friend's house," Ash said, ignoring the project reason. "Well...that must be some friend if you're leaving me for her…or _him_." Ash started shaking his head slowly as a fake smile curved his lips in disbelief.

Dawn also began shaking her head at Ash's words. It wasn't like that. Yes, she was "ditching" him, but Kai was not more important than him. Right as she was about to retort, Ash spoke again.

"So what friend's house are you going to? I can only think of two people that are possibilities. But Leaf is with Gary for the day and May...well, from what she's told me, you two aren't really friends anymore. So...who is that leaving, Dawn?" Now Ash's voice was displaying hurt. He couldn't get over the fact that Dawn was leaving him on their "hoped to be" special night for someone else. He had this evening planned out carefully just for them in hope they'd make up some ground, but as of now it didn't look as if it would happen.

Dawn was thrown off for a quick second when Ash mentioned that May had told him Dawn and she weren't exactly friends. However, that thought was quickly pushed further into her mind when she realized she needed to begin explaining. Not that it would really make matters any better. "Ash," Dawn began, her voice exhibiting her nervousness. "It's not as bad as you're making it seem. I-"

"Whose house are you going to?" Ash demanded fiercely, cutting her off. Ash didn't give her chance to finish explaining. He didn't have to. Or at least he felt like he didn't have to. Dawn mumbled something incoherent as she broke her eyes away from his. "What?" he said. His hand clenched around the rose stems, the thorns digging in his hand, however he simply brushed off the little pinchings as Dawn said more clearly this time,

"I'm going to Kai's house!" She forced her eyes back to his and instantly wished she hadn't once she saw the look in his eyes. His face held anger; however his eyes displayed the hurt. She allowed a tear to brush down her cheek. She wasn't sure what Ash would say to her next, but she was ready for anything. She knew he'd think she was going for other reasons, but _no_ it was _only _for the project and she had to get that across.

Ash felt his heart shatter in his chest. He had a feeling that was where she was headed. The tears were disrupting his vision and burning the back of his eyes, however he refused to let them fall right now. Aside from being very hurt, he was also _very_ angry. He felt like he'd just been slapped in the face a thousand times nonstop. He couldn't believe this was happening. On the day he was going to try his hardest to save their failing relationship, _this_ gets thrown in his face.

"Ash, its not-" she tried to say, but Ash cut her off quickly, stopping any useless explanations.

"What is up with you and him?" Ash yelled out in anger. "I knew it!"

Dawn stumbled back in surprise at his new voice level. She furrowed her eyebrows, and shook her head vigorously, anger now bubbling in her. He wasn't listening to her. It was as if he wasn't intent on listening to her speak at all. "Ash! It's not what you think!" She said, her voice rising to match his. "We're just fri-"

"Save the bullshit, Dawn!" Ash yelled back. Now tears were on the verge of falling down his face as he stared her down.

"Forget it," she said harshly. "I don't have to explain _anything _to you!" She turned around and proceeded to walk back into her house. If he wasn't going to listen to her and let her explain things, then what was the use of her trying? She would just be wasting her breath for no apparent reason. Words couldn't explain how she felt at this moment. Anger and sadness were not two good emotion combinations.

Ash followed her in her house and grabbed her arm, bringing her back to him. He was far from finished with this conversation. "Yes, you do! I come here to pick you up for _our_ evening and you're going to some other guy's house! Last time I checked, you were _my _girlfriend!"

Dawn jerked away from his grip and stared up in his eyes. The usual brown, content eyes were now dark and hard full of emotion. "I didn't know you were coming so early, Ash!"

"You didn't know?" Ash asked feigning surprise. "I called you like ten times! I even texted you earlier telling you what to wear! That should have been a clear hint for you to start getting dressed!"

"I had my phone on silent, Ash!" Dawn admitted truthfully. She remembered when she put her phone on silent because some people who were promoting some stupid product were calling her cell phone constantly, asking her to sign up for something she was far from interested in. "It's my fault, but also yours! How am I supposed to know you wanted me to get dressed then? You only told me what to wear! Not to get dressed!"

Dawn stared at Ash hard and he returned the cold glare. She felt like running up to her room right now, and just crying. She couldn't believe this was happening right now. She and Ash were in an argument. A _heated _argument.

"Know what, that's not even important! I want to know why you're going to Kai's house!" Ash shouted.

"Only for a stupid project, Ash! Calm down! You're acting like-"

"Calm down? How can I calm down! I show up at my _girlfriend's _house and she's about to go over some other guy's house? And you want me to stay calm? HELL NO! I've put up with your shit long enough-"

"You yelling at me isn't going to make anything better!" Dawn exclaimed loudly. "You're acting like I'm cheating on you or something! I was only going to be over there for an hour to work on the project!"

"Yeah, right," Ash scoffed. He didn't believe that "work on a project" nonsense not one bit. He knew what the real deal was and he was sticking to what he _believed _no matter how much she'd tried to tell him otherwise. "Then why didn't you tell me you were going to his house for a project? If that was the case, I could have just cancelled this whole evening if you really wanted to be with him!"

"Don't say that, because it isn't true and you know it! I-"

"I don't know it!" Ash interrupted her."

Dawn clenched her fist at her sides in pure anger. She was growing tired of Ash accusing her and not letting her complete her sentences. "See! This is why I didn't want to tell you! I didn't want to sneak around either, but you're forcing me to!"

"Because you know what you're doing and I sure as hell do too!"

Dawn finally lost her cool completely. She groaned in much anger, and pushed Ash further away from her. She yelled directly to him, "See, Ash, that's your problem! You're just a jealous _boy _who can't handle his girlfriend having guy friends!" Ash's mouth dropped open, but he closed it, staring at her with a blank expression. Tears were pouring down her face; however her face showed her anger.

Just then, Johanna ran down the stairs. She'd been hearing them argue for the last ten minutes, however she stayed upstairs, not wanting to get involved right away. But after hearing how serious it was getting, she had to take action. "What is going on?" Her voice startled the two teens. Dawn turned around and looked at her mother. Johanna glanced back and forth between Ash and Dawn, taking in their facial expressions. She wasn't sure what all the commotion was about, but from their tear dripping eyes, she knew it was bad.

"Ash-" Johanna started, however Ash shook his head and said in a low tone,

"Don't worry Johanna, I was just leaving." He gave Dawn one last look, but she looked at the ground, avoiding his eyes. "These are for you." Ash threw the bouquet of roses on the ground, causing something to drop from the middle, and stomped out of the door hurriedly.

Dawn kept her eyes glued to the floor. She didn't want to watch him leave. She could hear him sniffling as he walked out of her house.

Johanna was baffled and completely lost. She watched as Ash stormed out the door, throwing the roses on the floor before he left. She looked at her daughter and saw tears dripping from her face and onto the floor. Johanna slowly walked behind her and put her hand on her shoulder. "Dawn," she said quietly. "What-"

Before she could finish, Dawn jerked away from her and wiped her eyes. "I'll be back," Dawn said groggily.

"Dawn-"

Before Johanna could stop her daughter from leaving, Dawn was already out of the door. She saw as she got in her car and drove out of the driveway. The older woman sighed desperately. There was really nothing she could do right now. She was highly worried for her only daughter, however. She hoped wherever she was going, she was careful.

She wanted her to have some space and let her cool off before she began asking questions right away. She knew her daughter would really need to calm down after that argument she just had with Ash. However...she wished she could be there for her.

Johanna looked down to the floor, feeling guilty for not coming down stairs sooner when she heard them arguing before. Maybe, she could've stopped them sooner and things would not have been as bad.

Her eyes spotted the roses lying helplessly on the floor in a big, red heap. She picked up the beautiful flowers carefully to prevent herself from stabbing her fingers. Then a small box lying on the floor caught her eye. It was a very pretty box. It was white with silver stripes decorating the small box. She picked up the velvet box and opened it, nearly gasping.

In the box, was a beautiful sterling silver charm bracelet. There were already two charms on the bracelet. They were two halves of a pure, glowing silver heart. One was engraved with an _A_ and the other was engraved with a _D_. Johanna connected the two broken hearts together making _A+D. _She smiled and turned the connected heart charms over. She had a feeling there was something engraved on the back.

And it was.

In beautiful small, silver cursive letters the connecting hearts made a sentence:

_No matter what, I'll love you forever.__  
><em>_Happy Anniversary, Dawn._

A small smile tug pulled the woman's lips. However, it didn't stay for long as she slowly pulled the heart charms away,_ breaking them, _and closing the lovely jewelry box. She just hoped that after _that_ intense argument between Ash and Dawn that those words were still true.

**x-x-x**

Ash sped down the road in anger, little drops streaming down his face. He cursed to himself seeing the blood from his right hand smeared on the steering wheel. Now that he noticed how his hand was bleeding from the thorns that stabbed his hand, the small cuts were stinging. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to clench his hand around the stems as if he were squeezing a stress ball.

He removed one hand from the steering wheel - the non-bloody one - and wiped his eyes, attempting to clear away the tears. His objective today was not to go over Dawn's house and have a horrible argument with her. But she just made him so mad. Seeing her not ready was one thing, but finding out she was going to _Kai's_ house just made him _pop!_

He was more than willing to save their relationship. And he was going to try and do just that this evening. That won't be necessary now, though. He was _done. _No one called it, but he already knew it was through.

He knew should've seen that coming. He was _certain _that Dawn liked Kai. Apparently, more than him since she chose to be with Kai.

When Ash reached a stop light, he leaned forward and rested his head on the steering wheel.

He sighed deeply, with many emotions coloring the sigh. If anyone heard it, they'd think he was heavily stressed out. More tears trickled in a miniature stream down his cheeks - falling one after another. He was so angry with her, but also very broken. That heart-breaking feeling was beginning to overpower the angry emotion.

He still loved Dawn, though. Honestly, he couldn't figure out _why._ After all the pain and mess she put him through, - even if she knew it or not - he wondered _how _he could still love her.

As harsh as it sounds, he hoped she was hurt just as badly as he was. She deserved it, that he was sure of.

He picked up his head, his vision being blurred thanks to the tears. A car behind him was honking impatiently, signaling for him to go since the light had turned green. A few other drivers simply drove around him and threw a glare his way before driving away.

Ash sniffled and began driving again. He turned into a neighborhood. He felt like talking to someone. He had to. Gary was spending the day with Leaf, - he knew that - Drew's house was kind of a long distance; Kai was obviously out of the question, which left one last person.

Someone he was beginning to get somewhat close with over the past couple of weeks. Someone he once had a chance with...

**x-x-x**

Dawn walked out of the house, without looking back at her mother. She knew she was staring at her retreating figure and she wanted to avoid that gaze. Dawn knew that when she got back, her mom would bombard her with questions - she understood that. She knew her mother would just be worrying about her and would just try to help her out as best as she could, like she always did.

However, she didn't want to talk to her right now. She just couldn't face her mother after her argument with Ash. There was only one person that was available to her - besides her mother of course.

Dawn got into the car, turning it on, and immediately drove off. She knew exactly where to go thanks to her good sense of direction.

The argument between her and Ash replayed continuously in her head as she drove, which only sped up the tear flow from her hazy cobalt eyes. That had been by far the worst argument Ash and she had ever had. She knew nothing would be the same after that.

She _knew _she was wrong, when she thought about it. So, it wasn't the absolute best idea to go over to Kai's house today, but the project had to be done. Maybe she should have told Kai they should've got together earlier in the day. Then, the stupid argument would have never happened. But, it's too late - you can't change the past. And maybe she should have just told Ash she was going to Kai's house to work on the project. He would have most likely been upset, but at least she'd have the courtesy to let him know. It was the correct thing to do rather than her going behind his back about it.

Now it had only blown up in her face.

She felt extremely bad, now, and she regretted her decisions. She knew she'd hurt Ash's feelings - it was all in his eyes - and that only made her feel more guilty. _She_ was responsible for hurting his feelings. At least she thought so.

She only wished Ash would have listened to her, let her explain. He just assumed. Yes, she did like Kai, but Ash didn't know that. She wanted her relationship with Ash - the old relationship, how it _used _to be. Therefore, she was trying to loosen up some ends with Kai by not flirting with him. However, success only struck one end so far. She wanted to love Ash how she used to just to get their relationship back.

But after that argument, would she? She wasn't even sure if he would talk to her. She wasn't even sure she wanted to talk to him for a couple of days for that matter. Where they stood with each other right now was highly questionable.

In a matter of minutes, she was in Kai's driveway. Honestly, she wasn't in the mood to work on the project anymore. She only felt like talking to him, just to vent until she calmed down. Dawn took the key out of the ignition and sat in the car for a few minutes before she got out, just lost in thought as tears continued to run rivulets down her face.

Despite how angry she is with Ash, she was still heartbroken. She never expected to get into an argument with him. She could still see his cold, hard eyes as he stared her down. He had never looked at her that way before. It was as if his eyes were full of so much hate at that moment. And she blamed herself _partially._

Dawn finally opened the door of the car and got out, closing and locking the door behind her. She took a deep breath, walked up to Kai's door, and rung the doorbell.

A few seconds went by before she heard shuffling come from inside his house and the door open.

**x-x-x**

Ash stood at the door, waiting patiently for it to open. Finally, the door opened and a pair of ocean colored eyes met his saddened gaze. He could tell the person was surprised to see him because _their_ eyes widened before they stepped aside, allowing Ash entrance.

Not passing up the offer, Ash walked through the door, sighing.

The _"owner" _of the house closed the door, took a gentle hold of Ash's hand and led him to the couch where they both sat down, facing each other. _The person _saw the look in Ash's eyes, and the tear stains on his cheek, not to mention that his eyes were slightly puffy. _They_ knew something was wrong and _they _could tell he needed to vent...or talk.

_They_ and Ash had been getting fairly close again for the past few weeks - kind of like how they were in middle school...until Ash chose Misty. Therefore, Ash had been a little open with _the person, _so _they _knew what was going on with Ash and Dawn's relationship - which _they_ guessed was going to happen, anyway. Secretly, _they_ were delighted.

"A-Ash, what's wrong?" the _person's _voice was soft and gentle. It was like soothing music to his ears. Ash didn't answer right away, therefore the _person_ went on. "Ash, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Dawn?"

"I _was,_" Ash answered bitterly. The set tone in his voice stunned the _person_ a little. That might explain what happened.

"Well...what happened?" The _person_ asked, scooting over to Ash's side to listen closely so _they _wouldn't miss a beat. This was something that had to do with Dawn, obviously, therefore it made the _person_ excited, yet calm, to listen to what Ash had to tell _them._

Ash took in a big, deep breath before he slowly released, his shoulders rising and lowering along with his actions. He mentally prepared himself to leak the story to his listener. Ash explained everything that took place from the time he texted Dawn up until now, where he was now being comforted. Explaining what happened in full detail lit his candle and angered him again, along with him soon being saddened by the entire dire situation. It felt good for him to talk about it with _someone, _though he still wished none of this would have ever happened.

By the time Ash finished explaining the story, the _person _was boiling despite how_ she _was rubbing _her_ hand on Ash's back, telling him quiet, soothing words saying, "Let it out." _She_ couldn't believe the act Dawn had pulled. _She_ knew Dawn liked the guy, however _she_ didn't suspect Dawn to do this. Going to another guy's house while you had a planned date with your boyfriend? Highly unacceptable on many levels. And this only angered _her._

Here, _she _had a great guy who loves his girlfriend more than anything and someone _she_ cared about a lot, crying in _her _house because of his girlfriend. _She_ knew Ash deserved so much better than Dawn, and _she_ wanted Ash to realize that. Seeing him hurt was sad because he wasn't the type of guy to get seriously emotional. If he cried, then you knew it was something serious.

Getting a bit of insight from Ash for these past couple of weeks on his and Dawn's relationship was _almost_ heartbreaking to _her_, to hear. Honestly, she was secretly happy they were falling apart. However, she felt a little, just a tad, bit guilty for being happy their relationship was going down.

"Ash," _she _spoke. _She _lifted his head so their eyes met. Slowly, _she_ wiped the corners of Ash's eyes with _her _thumb, causing Ash's lips to curve into a very tiny smile at the warm gesture. "You're hurt, I know that, but you can't keep crying...over _her_. From what you've told me, Dawn is causing you to hurt too much. Seriously, Ash, you cannot stay with her-"

Before _she_ could get out another word, Ash stopped her right there. "But, I don't w-want to." Ash sniffled and looked deep into _her_ shining blue orbs. They resembled Dawn's closely, but he didn't think they were as deep of a blue and beautiful as Dawn's. Dawn's eyes were simply gorgeous to him. "At least, I don't think so. I _know_ what she's doing to me, but I love her so much...I guess my feelings for her is what's keep me around. I feel like if I break up with her my life would just stop without her. But...I can't take any of this anymore. I really can't."

"Then, if you can't take it, Ash, do something about it," _she_ said. "You are an amazing guy and I don't think Dawn realizes that. If she did, she wouldn't be running around with Kai." _She_ settled her hand on Ash's shoulder and studied his face expression. His eyes were still digging into hers as she returned the gaze. However, he looked as if he was going into thought about what _she_ just told him. Continuing, _she_ said, "Honestly, Ash, I think you deserve someone better than Dawn. Someone who _won't _do what she does. Someone who will appreciate you. _Someone who will really love you_."

"Are-are you implying that I should break up with her?" Ash asked quietly. Another tear trickled down his face, which _she _wiped away before it reached the end of Ash's face.

_She_ tore her eyes away from Ash's for a few seconds in quick thought before she settled her eyes back on his. _She_ didn't want to _tell _him to break up with Dawn..._directly._ "Only if you _want _to," _she_ said. "I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do, Ash. It's your decision. I'm your friend, so I'll support whatever choice you make. Right now, you're blinded by love, which is normal, so you don't know what to do. You have to really put some thought into your decision, though. I, really, think it's best you _do _break up with Dawn because she already put you through so much and if you stay with her she might think you're a pushover and keep doing what she's doing."

_She _could tell by the expression change on Ash's face that he was agreeing with her, much to her comfort. "But, as I said before, Ash, it's all your decision. I only want what's best for you. I hate to see you so hurt." Once_ she_ finished talking, _she_ smiled a reassuring smile.

"I'm honestly not sure of what I want to do yet...I'll just think about it, I guess. But right now, I just need some space from her. I don't think I'll be able to talk to her for a couple of days."

"And if you need anyone to talk to for those couple of days, I'm always here." _She_ smiled at him again, and this time he smiled back with a bigger smile.

He was beginning feel better after hearing _her_ little speech. _She_ was right on so many levels. Ash knew himself that he deserved someone better than Dawn...however, he felt there was no one better out there for him. He'd been with her for exactly two years now. It's hard to simply throw that all away. But, then again, he was tired of being hurt by her and her petty actions. Like today - it was horrible.

He found it funny that after what happened between them today, after deciding to go to college anyways, after accusing her of liking Kai, after the ongoing pain she put him through...how he couldn't just break up with her now. He was blinded by love, as _she _said. He was really in _that_ deep.

However, he didn't care. In this war, he was a solider ready to fight for their relationship. _Maybe._ He was going to think and come to a decision in a couple of days.

"Thanks, _May," _Ash said, truthfully. Now, he was beginning to feel a little better. As if May had helped him see a new light. But she didn't. Talking to someone felt really good, right now. "You are truly awesome, May."

The brunette smiled and blushed, hearing Ash's compliment.

There were a few ticking seconds of awkward silence until Ash broke it with a surprising statement to May. "May, I'm really glad we're getting close, again. We were great friends in middle school." Ash smiled at May. He really did miss their old friendship. And getting close with her again was something he was looking forward to. Once he had gotten together with Misty, he had left May in the dust. Not that he meant to, though. Misty always dragged him away from her whenever she saw them talking, so eventually he just didn't associate with May anymore since Misty would interfere.

Ash never said anything to _anyone_ about this...but he always wondered what it would have been like to date May. He had the chance...and he could not deny that he wouldn't mind having the chance _now._ He never told anyone, but he still held a few feelings for the brunette. Ever since middle school, however it was nothing overpowering, nothing he couldn't control.

May blushed and smiled back at Ash. Two years ago, Ash and May had been friends again since he was dating or maybe "used" to date Dawn, her "ex-friend?" but they weren't close like how they were in middle school. Now, they were picking up where they left off and May was gladly soaking it up.

"Yeah, we were _very_ close," May said nervously. She stared at Ash. Now that she really looked at him, he looked really handsome even if his eyes were a bit red and puffy and his cheeks were tinted with light red. In her eyes, he'd always look handsome.

"May," Ash said her name quietly, bringing her back down to earth. "I never did properly apologize to you." Ash could tell by May's change of face expression that she didn't know what he was talking about. "I-uh, about ending our friendship the way I did in middle school. To be honest, I'm not sure why I dated Misty. I liked her and _maybe_ even loved her, but I don't think she was worth it. I'd rather have _you _than her. I mean, I would have rather had _you _than her," Ash corrected himself sheepishly with a small amount of blush on his face. "But, I'm really sorry."

"Its okay, Ash. You've been forgiven a long time ago." The red hue on May's cheek deepened as she smiled. If only Ash had thought about that while they were in middle school. "Wait, Ash...did you know I liked you in middle school?"

"Yeah. I found out through other people..."

"Oh..." May said quietly. Now she remembered. She remembered someone running up to her, informing her that Ash was about to ask her out. However, that was when Misty stepped in and ruined everything by telling Ash a lie. She told Ash May didn't like him, therefore that resorted into Ash asking Misty out instead.

"You knew I liked you, too, right?" Ash asked.

"Yes. I found out through other people, also." May laughed softly to herself. She felt good talking to Ash about this. It didn't feel the least bit of weird. Well, maybe it did a little, but she still was enjoying this conversation even if she was a tad bit nervous.

"Maybe, we should have just told each other ourselves," Ash said jokingly, chuckling lightly. He was joking, but one part of him wasn't. Now, he really did wish they would have admitted it to each other themselves rather than having everyone else let them know. Then, maybe, Misty would not have ruined any chances they might have had together.

"Ash?" May said his name in a questioning tone to grab his attention. He locked eyes with her and instantly she knew, she had his full attention. She swallowed the building lump in her throat. She was scared to ask this question, but she wanted to anyways. She concentrated her blue sparkling eyes on his cocoa ones. "Um, what would you say if I...if I told you I still liked you?"

Now that question had caught the boy off guard. Ash was taken aback by her question. He didn't know exactly what to say or how to answer that question. Was she implying that she still liked him? After all of these years?

Yes, he liked her a little bit from middle school, however it was nothing more than a little crush, maybe even less.

The only thing Ash could muster up to say was two simple words, "Do you?" He blinked dumbly at her, waiting for her answer.

May broke their locked eyes and looked down nervously. She shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head. "Y-yes. I still do. My feelings...just never went away for you, Ash."

Ash scooted closer to May which caused her to lift her head up quickly and look into his eyes once more. "Why didn't you tell me? I-I kind of still like you to. I did since middle school, while I was with Misty and...Dawn."

"I didn't know I could tell you, Ash. If I would have known then maybe I would have before I got together with Drew...and before I helped you and Dawn get together." May closed a few more inches between them. She felt Ash's hand settle on top of hers, which was on her leg. Suddenly, she began feeling flustered. However, she liked it.

"Maybe...you should have," Ash whispered. He wasn't sure why, but he was feeling a certain urge right now. And it wasn't good. Drew was his best friend and here he was with his _best friend's _girlfriend...

However...May had told him that their relationship wasn't going to well...so maybe it was okay?

Ash was so lost in thought, that he hadn't realized that May was leaning closer to his face. He had snapped out his thoughts and realized what was going on when May placed her hand on his chest.

And he did what any guy would do when a beautiful girl was about to kiss him. Ash helped close the remaining distance between them and tilted his head. He could not deny this:_ He'd been waiting for a while for this moment._

**x-x-x**

Kai opened the door with a beautiful smile present on his handsome face. He was expecting Dawn. But, his smiled vanished upon seeing Dawn's face. He expected her to be content and smiling. However, for some reason, she wasn't. Kai studied her features carefully with bewilderment displayed on his features.

Dawn's usual cheery eyes were now red and puffy with tears dripping from them. Her cheeks were a light velvet and her lips were pursed together in an upset frown.

Kai didn't know what was going on or what happened to the bluenette. Almost immediately, Kai took her hand and brought her into his house, leading her to the couch.

"Dawn, what's wrong? What happened?" His voice was filled with worry and concern for Dawn. Kai brushed a string of Dawn's hair out of her face with his hand.

"Ash happened."

"W-what do you mean?" Kai asked in confusion. Then something hit him as he stared at Dawn. He was afraid to ask, but he set those nervous feelings aside and brought himself to ask her, "D-did you and Ash break up?" He liked her, a lot, but in his mind, he was hoping they hadn't split.

Dawn didn't answer. She put her head down and studied her hands in her lap. A few more tears rolled slowly down her face. Her silence caused Kai's eyes to widen.

"You did..." he gasped.

"I'm not sure," Dawn said finally. Her voice cracked a small amount toward the end of her sentence. "I think we did." More tears trickled down her face as she just thought about the fact that Ash and her might be broken up. She knew if they were, there would be no chance of them repairing their relationship and getting back together.

Kai suddenly felt sorry for Dawn. He put his arms around the sobbing girl and brought her close to him in a deep, comforting hug. He let her cry. He didn't care about his shirt getting wet - that was an irrelevant matter right now. It was worth it. Dawn needed someone there in her time of need and apparently, he was just that person.

After Dawn finally calmed down - which took about ten minutes - he pulled out of the hug and locked his brown orbs with her gloomy ocean colored eyes. He thought her talking about it would help her feel better, so he asked, "What happened between you two?"

Dawn sniffled a few times and pulled her eyes away from Kai's eyes. She wasn't one-hundred percent sure if she was ready to explain the events. However, she knew she needed to. She knew it would make her feel a little bit better. You always felt better if you talked about something.

Dawn settled her eyes back to Kai's and wiped her eye from an upcoming tear. Dawn sniffled one more time before she began to speak. She told Kai of everything that happened from the time Ash first texted her up until this point, where they were, never leaving out any detail that would take away from the past event.

Once she was finishing informing him, she was in his arms again crying softly. Kai was feeling no better than she was, however he didn't show it. He felt horrible because he was putting the blame on himself for the cause of Ash and Dawn's heated argument. He felt like it was his entire fault that Ash and Dawn were possibly broken up.

He felt like calling Ash himself and telling him it was his fault and that he shouldn't break up with Dawn, however he already knew he was the last person Ash wanted to talk to. He wondered vaguely if Ash hated him now. He wondered if Ash would let him explain that there's nothing going on between Dawn and him...he wondered if he would believe him.

Kai reluctantly pulled down out of his arms and looked at her with intent eyes. He wanted to wipe the tears away from the corners of her eyes, but now, he felt like he should _not _do that after what she told him. Kai sighed as he searched for the right words to say. He was going to apologize.

"Dawn, I-I'm sorry," Kai started, looking sincerely hurt. "This is all my fault. I feel so bad. I-I never should have invited you over today. W-"

Dawn shook her head and stopped Kai's rambling excuse when she laid her small hand on his chest. She didn't know why he was apologizing. She didn't think it was his fault.

"Kai, stop," Dawn said quietly. "This is not your fault. What happened between Ash and I is not because of you, so don't think that." Dawn moved her eyes away from Kai's and said quietly, "It's my fault."

Despite Dawn's protest, Kai still held himself accountable for what happened between Ash and Dawn. He'd believe that no matter who told he wasn't the cause. There was no convincing him otherwise.

"No, if I would have never told you to come here today if I would've known this would happen. It's my fault that you and Ash may be done. Dawn, I'm so sorry." Kai looked at her, his facial expression sincerely apologetic and his pleading brown eyes glistening.

"But, you didn't know this would happen, Kai," Dawn said as she slid her hand down his chest and slowly moving her hand away from his body and placing it back in her lap, where it should stay.

As Dawn slid her hand down Kai's chest, it sent chills through his body - he relished the moment. He tried to keep his thoughts in the back of his mind when she reluctantly pulled her hand away.

"I know...but I could have-"

"Kai, it's not your fault!" Dawn said a bit sternly this time. Her eyebrows furrowed for a quick second before they relaxed. She breathed out and turned her head away, preparing herself to tell Kai something. She didn't want her eyes to meet his when she told him this. "Kai...I _wanted_ to come here." She said quietly. Color began to fill in her cheeks.

"I wanted you to come too," Kai said, staring at her, wishing secretly that she would look at him again. "But-"

"No," Dawn said, shaking her head. He wasn't getting what she was trying to say and it was frustrating her a little bit. "I mean, I _really _wanted to come here." Finally, she turned her head to face Kai again and instantly luscious brown met light glittering blue.

Kai seemed to get where she was going because Dawn saw his eyebrows move up an inch or so - they rose only slightly. Kai felt his heartbeat speed up in his chest. He certainly was catching on to what Dawn was saying and it made him happy, yet it only made him feel even guiltier.

"M-more than you wanted to be with Ash?"

Dawn helplessly shrugged her shoulders before she began to explain. "I-I don't know, but I really wanted to be with you today, as well. I mean, I wanted to be with Ash, but you-" Dawn closed her eyes, feeling the tears stinging her eyes again. She felt bad for Ash, however she couldn't help it. If she could control her feelings, she would definitely make her feelings for Kai go away.

"Kai, I like you. I _really _like you."

The boy stared at Dawn with disbelief expressed clearly on his face. He _knew_ he heard right, however he still thought his ears were deceiving him. He'd thought Dawn liked him ever since Drew brought it to his attention earlier in the week, however they both weren't one hundred percent sure on the assumption.

Well...now he knew for sure since he heard it directly from _her_ mouth and he couldn't believe it. He was delighted she liked him for he liked her, too. But...they aren't supposed to like each other.

"And...that's why I'm telling you it's_ my_ fault, _not_ yours. I should have told you I was supposed to be with Ash today, but...I let my feelings for you take control of my actions and that's why Ash and I had that argument. If I would have just told you, I wouldn't be in this predicament with Ash."

"Hey." Kai placed his finger under Dawn's chin and gently lifted her head up so their eyes could meet again. "Don't put everything on your shoulders." Kai's voice was soft and sweet as he spoke. "You know...if it makes you feel any better, I..." Kai trailed off his sentence purposely. She had told him, so it would only be fair if he told her, but that would mean getting off the subject. However, he didn't care. He felt like he should tell her how he felt for her, since she had for him.

Dawn was all ears as she waited for Kai to finish his sentence. His soft touch under her chin sent small sparks through her body and the way his eyes locked with hers had her entranced into him. For the time, she had quickly forgotten about Ash and their problems. It as if it were just them two. _Only._

"I l-like you, too. And it's more than just a simple crush." Kai felt his face heat up as he told her his secret. He waited for Dawn to say something. But, he didn't know what she could say. Really, what _could_ she say?

Every single letter that escaped Kai's lips, was an extra flutter added to Dawn's stomach. She was shocked to hear that, despite believing herself that Kai liked her. Hearing it directly from that person must actually make you nervous. Dawn didn't know what to say. Her thoughts had become clouded.

At this moment, she would have reacted on her feelings, however Kai was taking care of that.

Kai's finger was still placed under her chin; therefore he gently tugged her head closer to his, his eyes glancing at her lips and back up to her eyes. His heart was pounding and he wasn't sure why he was doing this, but something was forcing him to and he was not going to stop it and it seemed as if Dawn wasn't going to stop him either.

Dawn allowed Kai to pull her closer, their distance closing quickly, but slowly at the same time. She felt frozen, but she _liked_ it. On her own, she titled her head and prepared to close her eyes. Kai did the same thing.

**x-x-x**

May felt all the desired sparks as her lips pressed against his. This was something she had wanted to do for a long time and finally she was doing it. It was like a dream come true. Their lips moved in time with each other's perfectly. May slid the hand that rested on his chest up until it rested on his shoulder. She felt like she was in heaven.

She was dazed. He was a great kisser, better than Drew in her opinion. She was so lost in their intimate kiss, that she hadn't realized Ash was slowly pushing her backward until she was lying down underneath him. It seemed as if in one quick minute, their kiss had intensified.

Ash had no idea what was driving him to this point, but he had no intention on stopping it. He was enjoying this too much. The way her lips felt on his was simply unbelievable. He felt like he wanted more...

Ash felt her hand move up his torso until rested on his shoulder. Ash decided vaguely to move on to a slightly bigger step. He gently and slowly pushed her backward until he was on top of her, not once breaking their kiss. Ash slid one arm around May's waist, while his other hand moved around a bit. Her arms circled around his neck which brought him a little closer to her.

They were both so lost in each other. As if they were pouring the hidden feelings from each other in this kiss and _then some._

However, this was no longer a kiss. This turned into a make out session. And it had to stop.

Ash quickly snapped back to his senses and stopped kissing May. He really didn't want to, but he knew he had to stop. He knew what he was doing was wrong. May was still in a relationship with his _best friend._ He wasn't sure if he was still with Dawn or not, but neither one of them called it...so _you_ go figure.

Ash didn't mean to go that far.

He scrambled to his feet and quickly began walking to the door. He was blushing furiously - he could feel it. Now, he was feeling awkward. He felt..._bad._

His intention was _not_ to come to May's house to make out with her. He had only come to talk to vent to someone he knew would listen. Ash had certainly gotten beside himself. However, it was _amazing_ while it lasted. He actually wouldn't mind doing that again.

_No..._

Ash couldn't have those thoughts.

Ash walked boldly and quickly to the door.

"Ash, wait," May called out. She felt guilty for her actions. She had wanted to feel his lips on hers for so long, and she finally had - it was absolutely worth the wait - but May felt bad afterwards. Like, maybe she should not have kissed him.

Though, May wasn't quite sure where Dawn and her stood as friends, she still felt like she and Dawn were some kind of friends. And she had just kissed Ash, who is possibly still Dawn's boyfriend. Ash was off limits to her.

In addition to that, she was still dating Drew, though their relationship was going down the drain. She had just cheated on her boyfriend...with his _best friend._ As May thought about this, she began to feel worse.

She had just been caught up in the moment - for something she'd been wanting for years.

May got up from the couch, red dispersed on her cheeks, and walked behind Ash as he strode towards the door.

She caught his hand just before he was able to walk out of her house. Ash stopped in his tracks at the feel of her delicate, soft hand on his. He slowly turned to face her. It was hard for him to look her in the eyes after what had recently taken place between them.

"I-I have to go, May," Ash spoke, his voice wavering. He would have - _should _have - left right then, however his feet were planted firmly to the ground.

"Ash, I'm so sorry." May apologized. Finally, she caught his eyes. Her hand quivered slightly in his. "I d-did no-"

Her sentence was stopped abruptly when Ash pressed his lips to hers in one swift motion. That had caught her off guard. She kissed back, however not for long because Ash had pulled away.

He wasn't sure why he did that or what urged him to do it, but _now_ he felt like he could leave. He wiggled his hand out from her grasp, looked at her one more time, and turned to walk out of her house, without saying a word.

May watched Ash go without protest. She could have imagined this but, she thought and sworn she saw a smile curve his lips upward as he walked out of the door.

**x-x-x**

Their lips met, sending a shocking sensation down both of their spines.

Dawn waited to see if he would pull away. Instead, Kai parted his lips and initiated the kiss. That turned the sensation into a raging fire. Dawn wrapped her arms around his neck, sinking her fingers into his hair as he returned her kiss; holding nothing back.

All thoughts were gone. All emotions were gone. Only feelings were present in the kiss and it showed well from both of them.

Dawn melted in his kiss. _Wishes_ really do come true. His kiss was exactly what she expected it to be - spine tingling, soft, gentle, _powering. _She felt as if she could go forever kissing him, it was so good. She vaguely remembered this was how Ash and her kisses used to be, except better. However, that didn't matter now.

Kai was now the only person invading her mind.

Dawn pulled away to catch her breath, her eyes opening and meeting with his instantly. The look in his brows eyes only made her crave for more of his lips.

Her lips were tempting him to kiss her again. He could feel her panting slightly as she tried to catch her breath. His eyes stayed focused on her beautiful ones until he moved in again and captured her lips in his.

He couldn't move or push her away. And he wouldn't even if he had the chance. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him in closer to her. All he could do was savor the sweet taste of her soft lips. However, he was only able to treasure her them for a short time.

She stopped kissing him abruptly and quickly pulled her arms from around him. Obviously, she had came back down to Earth once realization set in. She stared at Kai without blinking and he returned the gaze with a confused expression on his face as if he was asking her why she stopped kissing him.

Her lips quivered as if she was going to say something, but no words were said. She only stared at him with disbelief of her actions. Sure, she knew what she was doing, but at the same time she hadn't.

She crossed the line and she knew it.

Without saying anything, Dawn slowly stood up, awkwardness filling the air, and walked to the door. She heard Kai stand up from the couch and walk behind her, but she didn't look back...

Until she felt his hand tug on her arm. She reluctantly turned to meet his eyes. Looking at him was so hard for her to do at the moment, however she managed to do it anyway.

Kai looked at her unmoving. He had to say something to her, but he struggled to get the words out. He was just as shocked as Dawn at their little intimate kiss a minute ago. It felt so right _with her_ but so _wrong_ at the same time.

Now, he really had done it.

His cheeks were heated it up. He didn't need a mirror to see the evidence, he could feel it. "Dawn, I'm sorry. T-that wasn-"

"Don't apologize..." was all Dawn whispered before she shook his hand off her arm and calmly - on the outside, wherein on the inside she was screaming - walked out of his house, shutting the door behind her.

Now she understood the saying _"Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it." _Sure enough, she wished. That wish came true. And now she felt even worse than before. Not every wish is as golden as it seems.

Kai was going to go after her, but decided against it. He paced back and forth when she shut the door. _I kissed Dawn_ replayed continuously in his mind as he paced.

If he convinced himself that he was the reason why Ash and Dawn weren't on good terms, then why'd he allow himself to kiss her back? He felt like he only made matters worse and that things would only get worse from here. This was something he did not feel good about, at all.

Kai plunked down on his couch pushing his hands through his hair and sighed, thinking what had he done and how could he fix this _if_ it were possible.

Nothing was the same anymore. Between anyone.

And...he realized something else...

_They hadn't even worked on the project._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Sorry about that random ending xD I didn't know how else to end it...well~ I did, but this chapter would've been like 3,000 more words longer and I was ready to finish this chapter. So next chapter I will incorporate how Ash and Dawn felt when they got home ;) because that was what was going to be here at first xD<strong>

**ANYWAY! OMG! Soo crazy~ huh? :o I hope I surprised many of you witht his chapter ;) And before anyone wants to go all bitch mode because "Oh! Kai and Dawn kissed. You're a bitch!" (I know that's what you all will probably freak about most -.-) blah, blah, BLAH 1. Anyone who does that, do it at your own risk. 2. This story is NOT over yet. From what I've calculate there are at least ten or more chapters left of this story.**

**So~ yeah. Just had to put that out there. So, um, this is the last update for a few weeks because I have surgery on Monday and I'll be hospitalized for a week. The only other story I will be updating maybe one last time (I'm trying to make it two so I can finish that story and start the sequel) is my other ongoing story The Ketchum Boys. I want you all to know that so any one who has me on Author's Alert will be like "Why is she updating that and now Cwohs2? D:" xD I've thought that before lol, so yeah :). On the bright side, I'm able to have my laptop and everything electronic while I'm in the hospital, so I will definitely be working on Chapter 17, so really you guys might not have that much of a long wait. Lying in bed all day with nothing else to do - for 5-7 days? Go figure :p And I'm honestly, I'm looking forward to it. Only because I can write as I please xD lol.**

**Okay, please review :) I'll see you guys soon :D**

**- Angel ^_***


	17. Facing Each Other

**Author's Notes: Wow~ It's been 4 months since I've updated this story. Guys, I am so sorry for that ._. and I understand if you guys are angry at me or hate me or whatever. I must be honest, though: 1. I've been extremely busy and 2. I had lost interest in writing _and _reading. So I couldn't bring myself to write unless I wanted to, which never happened until a few days ago. Something just sparked inside me, and I had an huge urge to write and finish this chapter. :) I know that makes you guys happy because you finally get an update!**

**I'm not going to talk much here, but I just hope you guys like this chapter. Sorry, if it sucks or if it isn't as good. I'll be honest, it isn't really eventful...but the next chapter will make up for it so don't worry :p**

**Btw, there's a _loooong_ part in this chapter. It doesn't have anything to do with the story, but I have to add it in here because of a few chapters back (I think you'll remember when you get there - it was the reason Dawn had to go to Kai's house in the first place) ****Feel free to read it or don't. Like I said, read if you want too. I just had to put that in this chapter because I can't forget about it :p It really takes up like 3,000+ words of this chapter...so yeah x)**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

><p>Kai sat his desk staring at the classroom door, watching students slowly fill the room for the first class, with his fingers tapping on the desk lightly in a steady rhythm. His gaze was blank and unmeaningful. It was as if he was waiting for something to happen or <em>someone <em>to walk in. Someone particular.

But he wasn't sure if he was waiting for that someone to show or not. If he was, then he didn't know why. He wondered vaguely if she would even come to school today. He thought maybe she wouldn't want to show up in order to avoid a certain raven-haired boy. However, that was only his thought process.

His mind was still occupied with the past weekend's catastrophic event. It was hard to take his mind off of it when thinking he was the reason for the whole thing in the first place.

After Dawn left his house Saturday, Kai found himself going a little crazy. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before and he didn't know how to handle it._ Could_ he even handle it?

He tried to think of multiple ways to fix everything between Ash and Dawn, if it were possible. He sighed deeply and took his eyes off the door only for them to wander back.

He took a quick glance at the clock. Five minutes until class started and she still hadn't showed up. Now, he was beginning to think his idea was correct. He couldn't blame Dawn for not showing up. He didn't want to come to school himself. Avoiding Dawn for a few days would be nice in some kind way. Also, avoiding Ash would be good too. Not that he was scared of him, but being that Ash thought there was something going on between Kai and Dawn, he didn't know how Ash would act around him today...

Or how Dawn would act around him.

Kai let out another heavy sigh. He had a feeling...a _bad_ feeling that multiple things were going to happen today...

_Three_ minutes until the bell. May walked into class. Kai watched her secretly as she walked to her new seat, that she made herself over the past couple of weeks.

He realized that something about her seemed different. Usually, she walked in class with a little more confidence and smiling. Today was complete opposite. From what he could tell from her facial expression, she looked flustered. May dropped her books on the desk, attracting a few people's attention towards her. However, she simply ignored their surprised expressions at her and sat down.

Kai could easily tell she was stressed about _something_ or that _something_ was on her mind because of the way she sucked in a breath and released it and how her left leg bounced continuously under the desk when she sat.

He guessed she had a rough weekend too.

And he had no idea...

May hadn't been looking forward to school herself, as well. Kissing Ash was a mistake and it never should have happened. Now, she regretted kissing him. She hadn't spoken to him once ever since he'd left her house Saturday. Facing him now, after that would be weird and uncomfortable. May was also sure she wouldn't be able to look Dawn or Drew directly in their eyes.

Guilt surged through her all over again. Nothing was going to go well today. She could feel it. And the feeling was strong.

Kai took his eyes off May and glanced back at the clock before his eyes locked back on the doorway. One minute until class started.

And as if it was right on cue, Dawn stumbled in class with forty-five seconds left until the first bell rung, signaling for class to start and that any students who weren't in class by the time the bell rang, they were late.

Dawn held her head down as she walked slowly to her desk. She really didn't want to make eye contact with Kai right now. Or anyone else, but mainly him. It _seemed_ like the class became quiet when she entered and she felt like everyone was staring at her as she walked as if they knew Dawn had an argument with Ash and as if they knew she cheated on him by kissing Kai.

However, that was only how she felt. Only two people were actually eyeing her as she walked to her desk. May watched Dawn with guilt and anger locked in her eyes. May had been Dawn's friend for two years, therefore she knew how to read the bluenette. She could tell something was wrong with her. This made May feel all the more worse for what happened between her and Ash. Honestly, May was hoping Ash hadn't broken up with Dawn because of her. Why else would Dawn be feeling down if Ash hadn't broken up with her?

On a different note, May did have a small tinge of happiness inside of her and a bit of anger towards Dawn.

Kai was the second person eyeing her as she walked over to her desk beside him. Obviously, she was still shocked by the past weekend's events. He didn't blame her because he was too, however, she was more hurt than he was.

His heartbeat picked up as she grew closer to him. He wasn't sure if he should say something or just ignore her. But that would only make for an uncomfortable silence between them. And if he talked to her, it would no doubt awkward. However, he couldn't avoid her forever. That he knew. He'd have to talk to her eventually. So why not go ahead and get it over with now?

Finally, Dawn reached her seat. Quietly, she sat her books down on the desk, scooted her chair out and sat down. She'd never felt this horrible in her life. So many emotions were running all throughout her body. She hadn't talk to Kai or Ash since the incidents with the two boys or anyone else for that matter. Dawn hadn't even talked to her own mother much - who was very worried about her. She was too upset. She _was_ going to tell her mom everything soon - Dawn was able to speak to her mother about _almost_ anything because she always knew what to say and was always able to help Dawn in the worse situations such as this one. However, she wasn't ready to talk about anything to her mother yet, which killed her because all Dawn wanted now was for everything to go back to normal.

How things used to be.

Dawn tried her best _not _to glance at Kai. Even from the corner of her eye. She didn't _want_ to look at him. She wondered if he felt the same awkwardness she felt right now. The bluenette turned her head, totally opposite of Kai's direction and glanced at a few students. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw some of her classmates taking out certain papers and posters and models of some type and sitting them on their desk.

This slipped her mind easily with everything that happened on Saturday and she just _knew_ it slipped Kai's mind too.

"Good morning, class," said the teacher as he strode anxiously in the classroom, closing the door behind him and walking over to the whiteboard and writing with a blue dry erase marker _"Project Presentations Today"_ on it. Then he turned to face his waiting students, showing them his broad, white smile. He was excited about seeing what his students brought to the table with their projects.

Kai slunk back in his chair and rolled his eyes, though he was a bit relieved. He was just about to say hi to Dawn when the teacher came in and stumped any chance he had to speak to her. Plus, he needed to tell her something about the project _they_ were supposed to do.

The teacher proceeded to speak. "I know you all are just as anxious as I am to present your projects" - he received a few low groans from around the room as he said this - "however, before we start, there is some important information I am supposed to inform you of." He gave the class a short stern look before leaning on his desk with his arms folded. "As you all know, the school year is almost over - there's only one month left in school. Which means, for all of you Juniors and Seniors is the Prom."

Usually this Prom talk would have sparked Dawn's interest. She'd been looking forward to Prom all year, she'd even drawn up a few possible dress designs. But, now she was in no mood to hear about Prom. Especially thinking that she wouldn't have Ash to go with - the only person she did want to go with.

"This year, the school has decided to have Prom on a Saturday instead of a Friday, which is really no huge change. Prom will be held on that Saturday of the week you all get out of school, which is on the sixteenth of June. You _will _need tickets to attend Prom. I am one of the staff selling tickets. Tickets are fifty dollars per person."

"Fifty dollars?" Someone called out in disbelief. In response, a few students began discussing this fact among each other until the teacher hushed them.

"Yes, fifty. I know that price is expensive. I don't quite agree with it myself, however I have no say in the price of the tickets. The staff in charge of the Prom this year said they needed to raise the price of the tickets by ten dollars - last year it was only forty - because apparently last year, the school had to come out of it's pocket a little more than they planned. That is why the tickets are priced as fifty dollars. Think about it, food, drinks, lights, decorations, props, and a dj has to be purchased for this huge occasion. Not to mention a _real _diamond tiara and crown for the King and Queen. Neither of those things are cheap. And the money you all give for the tickets, will go towards your Prom this year."

He stared intently at the class for a few moments, but no one said anything.

Kai was neutral on this whole Prom idea. He'd never been to one before, only heard about it from people. He didn't really care about going, however, he wouldn't mind going either. If he did go, he didn't want to be by himself...

Having a girl to escort would be really nice. But the girl he thought would be nice to take, he already knew he couldn't.

"Okay," the teacher said and clapped his hands together, getting out of his leaning position on his desk. "With that said, lets present these projects. Any volunteers?" His dark eyes wandered around the classroom, waiting for students to gather their project things and walk to the front of the room. However, the only response he got was students pretending to look away, staring intently at something they really didn't find interesting or pretending to tie their shoe. "No volunteers, huh?" he said in a challenging tone.

Dawn sighed inwardly. She knew what happened when no one volunteered themselves to do something. The teacher would always _pick _someone himself. She saw his eyes scanning the room slowly, searching for prey. She prayed that he didn't call on Kai and her. They didn't have their project - which was bad enough, they would get an F which was something she didn't want and couldn't really afford. It would be even worse because he's known to embarrass students who don't have their work. Embarrassement was the last thing she needed right now. She was sure Kai felt the same way as well.

"Kai and Dawn! Come up here and amaze me with your project." The teacher smiled at the two before he took a seat at his desk, waiting anxiously.

The bluenette's heart nearly stopped. And she was surprised to see Kai retrieve a mini poster board from his school bag and _surprisingly _a report. However, before Dawn could force herself to say something to him, he was already standing in the front of the classroom.

She eyed him with relief in her eyes then she glanced at the teacher who was staring at her curiously. "Dawn? You're part of this project too. Come on."

Dawn opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She wasn't in the mood to stand in front of her class - not that she was nervous, because she wasn't.

"Uh, I'm presenting _our" _- Kai looked at the bluenette and smiled boldly at her, saying _our_ - "project. We agreed that I'd be the one to present our project." He explained to the teacher who was nodding his head in approval.

"Okay then. Well, go ahead. Start with the poster."

Kai looked at Dawn before he turned his attention to the poster. She mouthed him a _thank you._ Kai pressed his lips together and turned away from her, his cheeks being a faint red, and hung the poster - which held his surprisingly _excellent_ drawing of Unova - to the whiteboard with small magnets placed on the four corners of the poster board.

Dawn eyed the map of Unova Kai had drawn. She wondered if Kai lied to her when he said his drawing skills were bad because he'd drawn Unova _very_ well. She thought it was almost better than what she _would have_ done. _Almost. _

"Well," Kai started, gazing with a little nervousness around the classroom. "This is the Unova region. The cities and towns, - and Victory Road and the Pokemon League - I-_ we_ have marked in blue since they are the most important. The smaller points in green are special landmarks in Unova. I'll be explaining all of this" - Kai motioned his hand over the map for emphasis - "in _our _report."

Dawn watched and listened to Kai intently. She thought he was doing good presenting his project. She could definitely tell that he was a little nervous, but he was also doing a good job playing it off. She hardly ever thought of their kiss while she listened to him.

Kai gazed around the room again. His mom had always told him as a kid that eye contact with your audience was important when presenting something. However, he hated making eye contact with his classmates because his eyes always landed on Dawn a few seconds longer than they should have.

"That's a great map you two have," the teacher praised, smiling at Dawn and then looking back at Kai. "Nice details and coloring."

Usually Dawn would have flushed from the compliment. However, since she had nothing to do with this project, her face remained it's pretty cream color. Kai, on the other hand, flushed and gave his teacher a sheepish "Thank you" before proceeding to read the report he typed up the previous night.

Kai held the report, which was a few pages long, in his hands. His eyes looked up at Dawn who gave him a smile. Her little smile was like the confidence boost he needed to read the entire paper. He wondered what was the meaning behind her smile, though.

He shook the thought out of his mind and began to read the report.

_The Unova region is a beautiful place inhabited by many pokemon - big and small. This wonderful region was created over two-hundred million years ago by uniting the warring peoples of the land by twin heroes. The twins united the people by using a single dragon. However, not everything was okay. The twin brother began arguing something they each sought in life which was different; the older brother sought Truth while the younger brother sought Ideals. _

_Their arguments split the one dragon into two separate dragon pokemon; Reshiram, who sided with the older brother and Zekrom who sided with the younger brother. The two dragons began to battle each other while the brothers continued their arguing. However, since both dragons were born from the same dragon, neither could defeat the other and the brothers declared that there was no right side. _

_However, eventually their sons continued the fight over Truth and Ideals. This started the battle between the two dragons again. Their battle destroyed the Unova region with their fire and lightning powers before they disappeared._

_Sometime after the original dragon had been split into Reshiram and Zekrom, one of the two brothers and their respective dragon created the Relic Castle, which was the seat of a new civilization for people and Pokemon. __This new civilization grew larger and larger, once again creating Unova. _

_Unova is divided by two rivers that led into an Ocean to the south of the region. These rivers cannot be surfed on, with the exception of the river directly below Village Bridge. It divides Unova into central and eastern peninsulas and a western landmass. These three landmasses are connected by five bridges, the Skyarrow Bridge, the Driftveil Drawbridge, the Tubeline Bridge, Marvelous Bridge, and the Village Bridge. _

_The eastern part of Unova is further divided by mountains that makes a southeast part and northeast part. The southeastern part is important to Trainers who want to compete in the Pokémon league since two Gyms are located there, but the northeastern part is not since there are no Gyms there and it mostly has tourism, as evidenced by the amount of people speaking foreign languages. _

_Further away from this bundle of towns is where the Pokémon League is located. Interestingly, the northeastern part is the only place in the region to find Pokémon species foreign to Unova outside of Swarms. The central peninsula of Unova consists of the two largest cities in the Pokémon world, Castelia City and Nimbasa City, as well as Opelucid City further north, all of which contain Gyms. Every bridge in Unova connects to the central part of the region from either the east or west. The western side contains medium sized towns and more varied landscapes but it also has three Gyms there, making it another destination to visit for any Pokémon Trainer._

_Unova is a mixture of urban and rural land. The region features fifteen settlements which reflect the diversity of the region. _

_Unova has five towns and nine cities._

**Towns:**

_1. Nuvema Town: A rural town whose sea breezes give the sense of something coming. This is the town where Professor Juniper's lab is located. This small town only has a population of ten. Nuvema town is located in the southeastern part of the Unova region. _

_2. Accumula Town: This town offers great views due to its many hills. Accumula town is situated in the southeastern part of the Unova region. Accumula Town's has the largest populations of the five towns with thirty people living in the town. _

_3. Lacunosa Town: A town where all honor old customs, living as methodically as clockwork. This town__ is in the northeastern area of the Unova region. To the west of Lacunosa Town is Route 12 and to the east is Route 13. To the north-east of Lacunosa Town lies the Giant Chasm, which is a location that has affected the residents of the town greatly for many years. The population of Lacunosa Town is sixteen. _

_4. Undella Town: A summer retreat with a beach full of people who enjoy summer vacations. Undella Town is in the east of the Unova region. The Champion from the region Sinnoh, Cynthia, stays in this town during Summer and Spring in a villa owned by Caitlin, one of Unova's Elite Four members. Trainers often battle Cynthia after they've beaten the Elite Four. Undella Town's population is twelve. _

_5. Anville Town: A city with a rail yard where trains park for an overhaul. Anville Town is situated in the northwestern part of the Unova region. It is accessed by riding the Battle Subway's Anville line from Gear Station in Nimbasa City; no battles are required to be able to go to this town. On the weekends, some Trainers come to this town to exchange items. Thirteen people reside in Anville Town._

**Cities:**

_1. Striaton City: Entry stairs built in memory of a former home in a snowier city is located in southeastern Unova. The Dreamyard is to the east, Route 2 is to the south and Route 3 is to the northwest. Striaton City has the population of forty-six people._

_2. Nacrene City: A city established in restored storehouses built 100 years ago. Nacrene City is a city in southeastern Unova. Nacrene City is described as having a peculiar cityscape, as it reuses its warehouses built about a century ago. This town has fifty residents_.

_3. Castelia City: A big city with skyscrapers piercing the clouds. Castelia City is a large seaside city located in south central Unova. Unlike other cities, Castelia is a huge, sprawling metropolis, sporting many towering skyscrapers and other tall buildings. It is the heart of business and economy of the Unova region, as opposed to its sister city, Nimbasa City, which is the heart of leisure and entertainment. Most of its city streets are crowded with different people rushing around, trying to get to work, home, or other places, creating a hustle and bustle scene for city life. The city exists on the bottom of Unova's central peninsula, south of the desert and north of the sea, making for a perfect harbor city. Castelia City is geographically the largest city in the Unova region and contains many structural elements that have not been seen in cities in other regions. The city's core is a central business district, with huge skyscrapers and other commercial buildings; a series of alleyways lead into this core, where smaller shops are set up among city traffic. The city's outskirts are bounded on all sides by harbor, where ships provide traffic to other regions in the Pokémon world. This city is home to one-hundred-and-thirty people._

_4. Nimbasa City: A bustling city of entertainment, with many theme parks. Nimbasa City is located in central Unova. Nimbasa City is the most populous city in the world with two-hundred-and-thirty-nine residents.. In contrast to Castelia City, which is the heart of business and economy in the Unova region, Nimbasa serves as the heart of leisure and entertainment. Nimbasa City is well known for its grand-scale landmarks such as the Musical Theater, Gear Station, Big Stadium and Small Court, Battle Institute, and the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel and amusement park. _

_5. Driftveil City: A port town distributing many goods, and a gateway to the Unova region. Driftveil City is a major ocean port city in western Unova. It has strong wind currents popular with sailboaters. More importantly, its ports are used by freighters and fishing boats that import and export goods such as vegetables in and out of Unova. A large market offering some useful items occupies part of the city. Driftveil is typically subject to precipitation year-round. Driftviel City is home to fifty-five people._

_6. Mistralton City: Vegetables are grown by the runway and transported by cargo plane. Mistralton City is located in western Unova. It lies directly north of Chargestone Cave, and is geographically positioned between three mountain ranges. North of Mistralton City is Route 7 and the Celestial Tower, a prominent place of burial and mourning for deceased Pokémon in Unova. The city is famous for its airport which imports and exports cargo around the Unova region and beyond. Thirty-seven people live in this City._

_7. Icirrus City: In winter, the city is covered with snow as far as the eye can see. __Icirrus City_ _is a city located in northwestern Unova. Icirrus City is connected to Twist Mountain to the west, and Route 8 to the east. To the north of Icirrus City lies Dragonspiral Tower. The majority of Icirrus City's buildings are located on high ground, due to the surrounding area being in a wet climate and as such having large puddles containing wild Pokemon. Windmills can also be seen towards the south end of the city. This City has a population of thirty-four._

_8. Opelucid City: A convenient city of rapid change, showing no traces of the past. __Opelucid City_ _is a city in the northern and central area of the Unova region. The city has a technological appearance. This City is home to fifty-two people._

_9. Black City: A modern city of ongoing development that draws people to it. Black City is a city located in the eastern part of the Unova region. Black City is a sprawling metropolis with many large buildings and skyscrapers. Forty-five people are present in Black City._

_Eight of these nine cities have gyms where trainers can test their Pokemon's strength and battle the gym leader in hope of obtaining a badge._

_Striaton City is home to three gym leaders. The Striaton City gym is the only gym in the world with three gym leaders. The gym leaders are Cilan - he uses a grass type Pokemon called Pansage - Chili - he uses a fire type Pokemon called Pansear - and Cress - he uses a water type Pokemon called Panpour. If a trainer can defeat one of the three brothers, they will earn the Trio Badge._

_Nacrene City is home to the gym leader Lenora, who uses normal type Pokemon. If a young trainer is lucky enough to beat her, they will be awarded the Basic Badge._

_Burgh is the bug type gym leader in the busy city Castelia City. He will give a trainer the Insect Badge if they manage to beat him. _

_The dazzling Elesa - who is also a supermodel outside of battle - specializes in electric type Pokemon at the Nimbasa gym located in Nimbasa City. She gives the Bolt Badge to trainers who defeat her. Her gym is the most unique because a trainer has to ride a wild roller coaster to battle her. _

_Driftveil City's gym leader is named Clay and his speciality in Pokemon are ground type. He hands out the Quake Badge to any trainer who defeats his Pokemon._

_Skyla - who is also a Pilot - is the gym leader in Mistralton City. Her Pokemon type is flying and she gives a trainer who defeats her the Jet Badge. _

_Icirrus City is the home to the gym leader Brycen. He specializes in Ice type Pokemon. The Freeze Badge belongs to any trainer that manages to defeat him._

_Opelucid City is the last gym a trainer will go to for the Legend Badge given to them by the the gym leader Iris if they beat her and her dragon Pokemon._

_Unova is also known for it's many and special landmarks that are spread throughout the region. _

**Landmarks:**

_1. Dreamyard is a small forest-like location in southeast Unova. It is connected to Striaton City in the west. It features the ruins of a research facility, and is home for a Munna and Musharna._

_2. __Pinwheel Forest is a forest in Unova which lies between Nacrene City and Castelia City, at the east end of the Skyarrow Bridge. It is said that a legendary Pokemon called Virizion resides somewhere in this forest._

_3. Wellspring Cave is a cave in Unova which lies north of Route 3._

_4. __Desert Resort_ _is a desert located within the Unova region. It is connected to Route 4 at its eastern exit. It provides access to the Relic Castle. It has two sub areas, desert and entrance._

_5. Mistralton Cave is a cave located on Route 6 in the western half of the Unova region. It is the home to the legendary Pokemon Cobalion, the Iron Will Pokemon._

_6. Relic Castle is a large castle and the ruins of an ancient city that is over 2,500 years old, located in the middle of Desert Resort. It is comprised of 5 different floors and a maze. A Volcarona appears at the end of the maze._

_7. __Lostlorn Forest is a small forest-like location in the middle of Unova. It is connected to Route 16 in the south, and is home to a female Zoroark._

_8. Cold Storage is a building found inside of an area of warehouses to the south of Driftveil City._

_9. __Chargestone Cave_ _is a cave within the western half of the Unova region. It is connected to Route 6 at its southern exit, and Mistralton City in the north. _

_10. __Twist Mountain_ _is a location the Unova region to the north of Route 7 and its eastern terminus is in Icirrus City. __It_ _bears a resemblance to a mine and has a complex network of caves. The mountain becomes filled with snow in winter, providing easier travel to different areas but also blocking off some tunnels. There is also a vending machine._

_11. Dragonspiral Tower is an old tower where Zekrom was sealed in the Dark Stone after the war thousands of years ago. It is located in the western part of Unova, just above Icirrus City. Though it is not known who built it or when it was built, it is the oldest structure in Unova. It is said this is where legendary Pokemon are created and slumber._

_12**. **Challenger's Cave is a cave located in the western half of the Unova region._

_13. Giant Chasm_ _is an area in the northeastern part of the Unova region. It is a large impact crater, containing a maze-like forest, and is home to a number of extraterrestrial Pokemon, including the legendary Pokemon Kyurem. _

_14. __Undella Bay_ _is a small area in the eastern part of Unova. It is east of Undella Town and is the only way to access the Abyssal Ruins._

_15. Abyssal Ruins are sunken temple ruins in eastern Unova. It is east of Undella Town in Undella Bay. Most Plates are located here. There are four floors and no wild Pokémon or Trainers._

_16. The Abundant Shrine is a location within the eastern half of the Unova region. It is connected to Route 14 at its southern exit. The land surrounding the actual shrine is a field of mounds of soil and a few bodies of water._

_17. __Victory Road is the final journey one must take before they can face the Elite Four, and refers to two different areas in Unova._

_18. Liberty Garden is an island in southwestern Unova. It can only be accessed if you have the Liberty Pass. Victini, the victory Pokemon, can can be captured in the basement of the lighthouse._

_Given that Unova is spread across three strips of land divided by two rivers, a number of bridges and an underwater tunnel exists to allow free movement across the region. Each of them has their own characteristic features and are even popular tourist attractions, they are:_

_1. The Skyarrow Bridge is a long suspension bridge that connects the southeastern part of Unova via the Pinwheel Forest to Castelia City in central Unova. The bridge serves as a means of transportation into and out of Castelia City._

_2. __The Driftveil Drawbridge is a bridge that connects Driftveil City and Route 5. It is the pride of Driftveil City and also called Charizard Bridge for its beauty and elegance. __Wild Pokemon often fly over the bridge, leaving shadows which can either cause a battle with the flying Pokemon or one of its feathers may fall and be picked up._

_3. The Tubeline Bridge is a very large bridge with subway trains below it in the Unova region located between Route 8 and Route 9._

_4. The Village Bridge is a stone arch bridge that connects Route 11 in central Unova to Route 12 in eastern Unova. __It is said that Village Bridge is over 200 years old, and was constructed after the river beneath it flooded and washed away the houses along its banks. The houses were rebuilt on top of the bridge to prevent the town from being destroyed again. An elderly stone cutter, whose great-great-great-grandfather was around when the bridge was built, is now in charge of keeping the bridge in good condition._

_5. __Marvelous Bridge_ _is an arch bridge that connects Route 15 in eastern Unova to Route 16 in central Unova. The bridge is unique because it does not actually physically connect the two Routes. At each end of the bridge there is an elevator which travels through cliff side down to a gate which leads to the route._

_See, Unova is more than just a piece of land. It's a beautiful historic place in which Pokemon and people alike live in harmony with each other. Each town, city, landmark, and bridge holds it's on special historic event. This is what makes the Unova region beautiful and the great region that it is today. _

Finishing the last sentence, he looked up from the paper. His classmates gave him a round of applause. His eyes scanned the classroom, before his eyes went straight to Dawn. She was smiling dead at him, however he could still see the emotion in her eyes.

He forced a smile upon himself. He was happy with the outcome of the paper _he_ wrote in one night and the map _he_ drew in one night.

"That was very good," the teacher said, nodding his head signifying his impressed emotion. "Very well written. Good job Kai and Dawn." He looked at the bluenette and smiled at her before he focused his attention back on Kai. "Bring me the report and map, so I can have a look at it and grade it accordingly."

Kai took the map of Unova off the board and walked a few spaced to hand his teacher the entire project. Then he returned to his seat where - unknown to him - Dawn was waiting for him. He wondered if she would speak to him_ now. _Which would be suspicious because that would mean she'd only talk to him only because, to her knowledge, he'd done the whole project himself. Without her. And it was a two person project.

Kai already knew she _didn't_ want to talk to him because of the past events. He felt the same way, of course.

Anyway, he realized he suddenly didn't care if she'd only speak to him out of niceness because he'd completed the entire project himself. It would be a start to get talking again which is all he wanted. He didn't want their friendship ruined because of what happened.

As Kai took his seat beside Dawn, she thought of what she could say to him. She felt it would be a little awkward talking to him _now_ after he presented their project and after ignoring him when she got in the classroom. Though, she couldn't help it. What was she supposed to say to him after what happened between them.

Now, she was finding herself in the same boat - she didn't know what to say to him now. Then she remembered she couldn't talk to him now because a new project was being presented. And her teacher did not tolerate anyone talking while someone was presenting. Therefore, quietly Dawn slipped a piece of notebook paper from one of her notebooks and began writing on it.

She slid the paper over to Kai, her heart pounding in her chest.

Kai was giving his attention to the two people presenting their project until a white paper with neat writing etched on it slid on his desk. He didn't even have to guess who it was from - he already knew. He took no time to read it.

_You did really good with the project...  
>- Dawn<em>

He released a silent sigh through his nose and wrote back. He really didn't know what to write back. He wanted to write something a little more than just a simple 'Thank you,' but really what else could he say?

_Thanks, Dawn..  
>- Kai<em>

Dawn anticipated Kai's note. However, that anticipation drowned and sunk down when she read what he'd written. She was really hoping for a little more. Well...it looked like she had to be the one to get this over with.

_I'm sorry that you had to do the whole project all by yourself. With everything that happened this weekend...I just forgot about the project. I really owe you one.  
>- Dawn<em>

_Don't worry about it, Dawn. Just helping a friend :)  
>- Kai<em>

Dawn smiled at this message. Good, he still considered her a friend which was one of her concerns. Now that she knew they were still okay, she had to say something. She was a little hesitant in writing this, however she pushed herself to do it.

_Sorry about the whole kissing thing Saturday...  
>- Dawn<em>

Dawn's next note surprised Kai. He wasn't expecting this to be brought up so soon. Nonetheless, now. He didn't think she'd bring it up, so he hoped they would simply avoid the topic because he certainly wasn't going to bring this up. Well, it didn't matter anymore. Now it was brought up and he wasn't going to run from it. Nervously, he wrote back and slid the note on her desk.

_Dawn, don't apologize. It was my fault. I kissed you first and I was wrong for that. Especially after what had just happened with you and Ash.  
>- Kai<em>

He carefully slid the note onto her desk and waited patiently for a response.

Dawn shook her head slightly before she began to write and eventually sliding the note carefully back onto Kai's desk so the teacher wouldn't catch her.

_Okay, it's both of our faults. Mainly mine because I should have never kissed you...and you should have never continued it no matter how much you liked me or I liked you. Lets just bury this? Pretend we never kissed?  
>- Dawn<em>

Kai smiled approvingly when he read Dawn's note. He was more than happy to squash what had happened between them.

_Sure. It never happened. And don't tell anyone. :p  
>- Kai<em>

_I won't ;)  
>- Dawn<em>

Kai smiled and looked up at Dawn who was looking back at him with a pleased expression on her face. He was glad they agreed to pretend that nothing had happened between them. It wasn't meant to happen anyways, and it shouldn't have happened. So squashing it was the perfect solution.

He might not be allowed to bring it up, but he sure wouldn't ever forget about it. He went into a slight daze remembering what Dawn's lips felt like on his. He'd do anything to have those few care-free moments again. Just to taste her lips again. However, he reminded himself that Dawn's wasn't his girlfriend, so he pushed the thought out of his head. Now, he just hoped that Ash and Dawn are fine. And he hoped Ash wasn't mad at him...

**x-x-x**

Dawn sighed heavily as she tried to focus on her work. However, the thoughts of Saturday rushed through her mind. She just couldn't take her mind off Ash and what she had done Saturday.

Kai nudged her with his elbow, catching her attention. She assumed he heard her sigh because he had an expression that asked _are you okay? _on his face. She nodded her head and faked a smile at him. Kai returned a smile, falling for her false expression, and went back to doing his work. As soon he was looking back down at his paper, her smile dropped.

The bluenette scooted her chair back, stood up, and walked over to the teacher's desk to ask for a bathroom pass. She knew exactly what she could do to get rid of her thoughts, or to at least think for a few minutes.

Once Dawn was out of the classroom, she folded her arms across her chest and conducted a soft sigh through her nose as she walked aimlessly down the seemingly endless school hallway. She took in her surroundings. She was just now passing the library and coming up on a flight of stairs that led to the second level of the school. However, she passed the stairs and kept straight ahead.

She was going nowhere in particular, just taking a little walk around the school to take her mind of things. Ash in particular. She couldn't shake the feeling os nervousness that swallowed her up whenever she thought about lunch period, where she'd have to come face to face with Ash and Ash would come face to face with Kai. Something was going to happen, she could feel it.

And she wasn't quite ready to face Ash herself, though she wanted to because she wanted to talk with him about Saturday. If their relationship wasn't completely ruined yet, then maybe she could save it by attempting to talking to him _calmly. _Then again, there wasn't really a reason to try to get their relationship back when it would just be gone again soon.

Well, if that would be the case, they could always just be good friends. Being friends is better than just being distant from each other forever.

However, in order for anything good to happen between them, she'd have to talk to him civilly first. Which is why half of her was anxious for their lunch period while the other half of her didn't want it to come. The lunch period was next, so she had no choice whether she was ready for it or not.

She found herself watching the ground as she walked the hall, deep in her thoughts. A familiar voice and a vaguely familiar voice caught her attention.

Dawn slowly brought her head up to see _Ash _walking casually down the hallway with another _girl. _They were heading in her direction, however they were so wrapped up in whatever they were conversing about, that they were oblivious to her presence.

A few thoughts ran through Dawn's head. The main one being, _"Why is he walking with her?"_ She tried not to over think this, however it was kind of hard not to when the girl he was walking with was unusually close to him.

For a short moment, Dawn thought this would be a good chance to talk to him. But unfortunately, that thought left as quickly as it came.

Maybe - hopefully - they wouldn't notice her when they passed. Too late. The girl noticed Dawn, which sparked Ash's attention to what she was staring at, causing him to throw a surprised expression at Dawn. The girl had stopped talking when she caught a glimpse of Dawn. Her mouth went from a tiny "o" to a small, taunting smirk and her green eyes flickered at Dawn.

Ash was surprised to see her, too. In all honesty, he didn't want to see her right now. He knew he wouldn't have a choice when the lunch period rolled around, but that wasn't for another hour and thirty minutes. This was too sudden.

He was still very angry at her for what happened between them Saturday. He'd cried so much when he had got home - which was something he hadn't done in a long, long time. His plan was to just ignore Dawn for as long as he could. Maybe he still could...

He didn't realize that he'd stopped walking, until he came back to his senses. Quickly, Ash took his eyes off Dawn and begin walking with the girl again.

Thinking quickly, Dawn reached out to grab Ash's arm, stopping him in his tracks. But she quickly regretted her action when Ash glared at her and jerked his arm out of her hand.

Now, she was determined.

Again, Dawn reached out to grab his arm. Looking directly in his eyes, Dawn said, "Ash, can we talk, please?" Her eyes pleaded into his as she waited for him to answer.

Ash simply stared at her. He could see how badly she wanted to talk to him by the look her eyes. For a split second he felt bad for her. Then, the horrid memories of Saturday came flooding back into his mind. He gave Dawn a hard look.

Talking wasn't something he wanted to do with her right now. However, staying mad at her forever certainly wouldn't make anything between them better. Things would only get worse.

Letting up on his hard glare, he opened his mouth.

"Sorry, but he can't. We have work to do that doesn't involve you."

The snide voice cut Ash from saying anything. Dawn raised her eyebrow at the girl, clearly shocked. The hatred towards Dawn along with the satisfaction of having Ash close by her side was there. The girl threw Dawn a quick, taunting smirk before grabbing hold of Ash's arm and pulling him away.

However, her attempt was trashed when Dawn reached for Ash's hand, stopping him from going anywhere. She wasn't sure what the girl's problem was - she most likely had a crush on Ash and was happy that she was with him - but if this girl thought she was going to walk away with Dawn's boyfriend, she had it all wrong. But Dawn didn't want to start anything with this girl, so with a calm voice and an obvious fake smile, Dawn said, "We'll only be a few minutes."

The girl smiled falsely back at Dawn, but the way her voice was toned, she shouldn't have smiled, even if it was fake. "A few minutes that we don't have. Right, Ashy?" The girl tugged on Ash's arm as if he were her property and she smiled sweetly up at him, expecting him to back her up.

Dawn couldn't believe this girl was flirting with Ash _right in front of her. _It was obvious that this girl knew Ash and Dawn were dating.

Perhaps the girl knew the couple were on bad terms? Maybe she thought she'd have a chance with Ash now.

But Ash would never spill his personal relationship problems with anyone besides Gary or Drew - Dawn knew that.

Dawn came to the conclusion that this girl was just bold and clearly didn't like her. She was more than relieved when Ash gave the girl an ironic look and shook away from her. But what he said had surprised Dawn even more.

"We won't be long." Ash stared at Dawn while saying this. It was as if that sentence was for both girls.

"Fine, whatever," the girl said. She rolled her eyes at Dawn, clearly jealous to an extent and walked away just enough to give Ash and Dawn their needed privacy. The girl folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently as she stared at Ash and Dawn talking trying to read their lips.

Dawn had to think fast about exactly what she wanted to say. She knew her time was limited. Ash's fierce brown eyes burned through her while he waited for her to say something.

"Ash..." Dawn started, nervously. She looked up at him while she spoke despite how much she actually didn't want to look at his face this very moment. "I'm really sorry about Saturday. I _know_ sorry isn't enough but...I am. And I'm willing to-"

"Dawn, stop." Ash's voice was surprisingly calm and soft when he cut her off. "I-I...let's just forget it, okay?" Dawn's bright blue eyes widened once he said this. "Lets just pretend that Saturday never happened."

"W-what? Ash, we _can't_ pretend that Saturday didn't happen." Dawn was confused. One side of her was happy that he wanted to forget about Saturday and move on from it because it meant that _maybe_ they could start new. However, the other half of her knew it wouldn't be right to ignore the situation. It most likely wouldn't make anything better if they pretended it never happened. Talking it out would be the correct thing to do and Dawn was going along with that side. "Ash, no, we ha-"

"Dawn," Ash's voice rose a bit when he said her name causing the girl to raise her eyebrow at the two. Then he lowered his voice back down once he recollected his patience. _"I_ don't want to talk about it. It's ok. I forgive you..."

Dawn frowned at him when he turned his head. That didn't sound convincing to her at all. But she didn't want to argue with him about whether they talked it out or not because she knew that wouldn't make anything better between them. Especially since she knew deep down that he didnt't really forgive her. It was clear in his voice and he had to turn his head when he said; he couldn't look her directly in her eyes.

"Okay..." was all Dawn was able to mutter.

Sighing, Ash looked back at her. Something about the look on her face pushed him to say, "Dawn, I love you. No matter what." He placed a kiss on her cheek and walked away from her towards the girl without saying another word. He was surprised with himself. Why he kissed her on the cheek was beyond him. It just happened.

Ash walked past the waiting girl ignoring her words and continued to his destination with the girl trailing annoyingly behind him.

Dawn's mouth was slightly agape with her hand resting on the cheek Ash had kissed her. She didn't even dare to look back at Ash when he walked away. She, of course, liked it but she wondered _why_ he kissed her cheek. Since he was so mad at her, what pushed him to look past his anger and kiss her cheek? She didn't understand..

She thought of this as she continued to walk down the hallway. However, her thoughts were interrupted when an all too familiar voice called her name. It actually made her smile.

"Hey, Gary," Dawn chimed when she stopped in front of the brunette.

"Sup, Dawn. Where are you headed?"

"Oh, um." Dawn had to think of something quick to say since she couldn't just tell Gary that she was walking the halls to think because then he would ask questions and that was something she didn't want right now. She didn't even want to explain to him what was wrong, if Ash hadn't told him already. "The bathroom."

Gary smirked and raised his eyebrow in suspicion. He casually crossed his arms and gave her the _I know you're lying _look. "Then why are you all the way down here? There's a bathroom on your hall too, you know." He chuckled lightly when he saw the quick look of panic flash across her face for a few seconds.

"Um, well, the janitor was cleaning the bathroom so she directed me to the bathroom down here..."

"Hm, alright," the brunette laughed. He knew she was lying but he wasn't going to worry about it. "You're not telling the truth, but whatever." Dawn simply blushed and laughed a little with Gary. She loved how cool and collected he was. He didn't push you to talk about something if you didn't want to talk about it yet. "So, did you pass by Ashy-boy? He was headed to the library with a girl so you should have passed him."

"Oh...yeah, I did. We, um, stopped and talked for a second..."

"Really? How was he?" This question made Dawn nervous because she thought Ash had told Gary about what she did Saturday. Until he came out with the next questions. "Because I couldn't get him to talk to me all morning. He's been sitting in class with this evil, depressed look all over his face. He even told Drew and me to fuck off when we asked him what his problem was. He pissed Drew off...but not me. So, do you know what's up with your crazy boyfriend?"

Dawn couldn't have sighed in relief at that moment. So Ash _didn't _tell Gary what happened Saturday. And she wasn't about to right now either... "Hm, that's strange. He was fine when I talked to him. Maybe you two did something to him...?"

Gary shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, or he could be on his period. I swear he's been having these crazy mood swings lately." Dawn couldn't help but giggle. Even though, she knew she was the cause of his peculiar moods lately, she found the idea of Ash having a period amusing. "He'll be fine, though. By lunch, he'll be back to his stupid self."

"Ash is _not _stupid, Gary."

"We're entitled to our own opinions," Gary said, laughing.

The bluenette rolled her eyes, smiling when she thought of something. "So, um...do you know who the girl was that was walking with Ash? And where they were going? She was kind of all over him..."

"Oh, that was Claudia. Nothing to worry about, Dawn. She's just another girl that obsesses over Ash. She annoys the hell out him in class. I thought he was about to kill the girl when the teacher paired them together for the project. He looked so evil and irritated." Gary shivered emphasizing the scary look on Ash's face was when Claudia had squealed after the teacher announced them as partners. "Anyway, we have some assignment to do on the computer. The teacher sent them to the library because there wasn't enough laptops."

"Oh~" Dawn was relieved. "So, if you have an assignment to work on then why are you out here?"

"Tch...I have a smart partner to do all the work. So it doesn't really matter where the sexy Gary Oak is. I'm still getting my grade."

Dawn laughed and shoved Gary. "I don't know how Leaf puts up with you and your cocky attitude."

Smirking, he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm Gary Oak. How can she _not_ put up with me?" He winked at Dawn and began laughing with her.

"Right...make sure you tell her that. Anyways, I need to go to the...bathroom, so I'll see you at lunch, Gary." Dawn smiled and slipped past Gary and continued to journey down the hall.

"Right. Bathroom." Gary said as he watched her leave. He chuckled and shook his head as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked coolly down hallway smiling at any girl he walked past and making them blush. He loved to charm random girls for fun, however Leaf was the only one he ever charmed on purpose. "Man, I love her," he said to himself randomly as he continued to strode down the hall thinking of his girl.

**x-x-x**

The bell was going to ring in a little less than thirty seconds. Dawn had just finished putting away her art materials. For some reason she was more eager to get to lunch than she ever was before. She couldn't even begin to ask herself why because she didn't know the answer to that question.

However, despite her excitement for lunch, she had a huge bulging feeling that something was going to happen. Whether it was bad or good..she had no idea. This feeling made her uneasy.

The bell rung and she sprang from her seat and scattered into the hallway with the rest of the students. She tried to flow with the crowd, however her anxious legs guided her quickly through the slow-moving teens in the hall. The feeling she had grew much stronger as soon as she stepped foot into the cafeteria.

Then suddenly she had a huge lump in her throat and she had an urge to look over at their usual lunch table. Slowly, she bit down on her bottom lip and turned her head so her eyes were on the table.

There sat May. May caught Dawn's eyes and shot her a daring look. As if she was daring Dawn to try something. Anything and she would attack. Dawn knew they weren't on the best of terms, but she didn't know what that look was supposed to mean. Dawn simply turned her head.

The feeling she had was at its highest power now. She was so sure something was going to transpire...

Nervously swallowing the lump in her throat, Dawn went to one of the lunch lines secretly hoping the line would move extra slow so she could hopefully dodge whatever was coming her way in a few minutes...

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: Yes, I left a cliffhanger :P BUUUT the next chapter shouldn't be as long as this, and I already have about 3,000 words on it done because I started this chapter a loooooooong time ago when I had the idea fresh in my memory, so that's good for you guys :p <strong>

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. This chapter is basically a set up for next chapter. I'm sure you guys could probably tell that something is going to go down next chapter. Feel free to guess ;)**

**Um, I'm not making any promises on when I'll be updating again, but know that it will not be another 4 months. If I don't update by next week, then it'll be sometime in January because I'll be in Florida after Christmas for a couple of days and obviously I won't be spending time writing up there :p so, yeah. Expect an update in January if not next week. **

**OH! Just in case I don't update before Christmas...Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Years! :) I hope you guys have a great time with your families and stay safe! :)**

**I'll see you guys soon!**

**- Angel _o/**


	18. Never Have I Ever

**Author's Notes: Hiiii, everyone! Sorry! I really could have had this chapter up much sooner because it was already written, I just had to re-write a few things and add some stuff to it...but I was lazy, so eeh. I am sorry, though /: **

**I won't talk much because I don't want to hold you guys any longer x) BUT, thank you to all who reviewed last chapter! You guys have helped me reach 300 reviews which was my goal for a while and I've finally gotten there! :D You guys are so awesome! I love receiving you guys' reviews :) They mean so much to me, I really _really _appreciate it, so thank you! :]**

**But other than that, you guys may read :) I think you might be in for a shock~**

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><p>After ten minutes of standing in the lunch line, Dawn had her tray in her hand and she was headed over to the table. She wasn't even hungry, she only got lunch today so she could allow time to pass. She noticed from a distance that everyone was already at the table.<p>

Drew and May sat beside each other, engaged in some conversation that look as if Drew was forcing her to talk because she probably didn't want to. Gary was on Drew's right with Leaf close beside him and Kai was sitting across from them where they were all laughing about something and Ash sat directly in front of Drew, leaving an empty seat between Kai and him. Ash busy stuffing his face which made Dawn giggle a bit because of how cute he looked.

Everything _seemed_ somewhat normal. For now.

Dawn finally made it to the table, where she sat in the last available chair between Ash and Kai. "Hi, guys." Dawn tried to sound as cheery as she could. On the inside, she was a nervous wreck sitting beside two guys who she'd had a past with the weekend before. Kai and her were still a bit awkward around each other and she knew for a fact that Ash and her weren't fixed.

"'Sup, Dawn," Drew stopped his conversation with May to greet Dawn, then he went back to talking with her.

Gary smirked at Dawn, making her laugh and Kai gave her a friendly head nod as he laughed.

"Hey, Dawn." Ash had managed to squeeze his greet out in a happy, friendly tone which threw Dawn off because she didn't think he'd be _this _happy because when they talked for a minute in the hallway, they didn't really resolve anything. Just kind of blew it off and Ash certainly wasn't happy then.

Maybe he's just happy because he did in fact talk to her. Dawn was confused, but she wasn't going to question it. If this was a path to Ash and her getting back on the same page, then so be it.

"Hey, Dawn," Leaf said once she managed to calm down her laughter. "Kai just told us this really funny story about-"

Leaf was cut off when the cafeteria went pitch black causing all of the girls, including Leaf, May, and Dawn, in the cafeteria to scream. As soon as the screams stopped the cafeteria broke out into a small panic with conversations about the sudden darkness that took over the broad cafeteria. No one knew what was going on or what could have caused this sudden blackout.

"Shh~ Every one quiet down." Professor Oak burst into the cafeteria with a megaphone in his hand, trying to calm down the cafeteria, however he was unsuccessful. "EVERYONE SETTLE DOWN!" Frightened by the professor's sudden outburst, everyone stopped their talking and gave Samuel their attention. "Thank you," the old man said before continuing. "I know that you're all worked up over this black-out that occurred and I know you want to know what might have cause it. But first, we need to let some light in here. If you are sitting by a window, then please open it."

Students who sat by windows scrambled to open them. Soon the cafeteria was lit up enough so everyone could see each other.

"Thank you," Professor Oak said. "Now, I can inform everyone on what has happened. There has seemed to be a power outage all around Kanto. The reason to why this has happened is still unknown. But, I need everyone to remain calm. Since it's too dark in the school we are not going to change classes. So you will all have to stay in here for the rest of the day since it doesn't seem like the lights will be back on anytime soon. No one is allowed to leave."

The entire cafeteria of students got excited about that fact that they pretty much had a free period. Nothing was better than having a free period at school.

Professor Oak chuckled into the megaphone and gathered everyone back to normal. "Calm down everyone. I know you're all happy that you don't have to sit through class, but we do ask you to please keep your voices to a minimum. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded their heads, respecting the Professor's request. "Okay, then enjoy your free period." Professor Oak smiled and left the cafeteria.

As soon as he left everyone broke into their own conversations, still worked up on the whole 'lights out situation.'

"A free period? Hell yeah!" Drew said while he leaned back in his chair in excitement. "This has to be the best thing that ever happened to this school." He couldn't even recall the last time they'd had a free period do to something like this.

Kai nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I really wasn't looking forward to last block today anyways so...this sounds good to me," Kai said. "That woman is like hell in a human body."

Dawn laughed at Kai's joke. She agreed one-hundred percent with him.

May bit down on her lip. "But guys, don't you think we'd get bored? I mean we have to be in here for more than an hour and it might get boring." May really didn't want to be stuck in the cafeteria for an extra hour. Not with Dawn. Not with Ash. And especially not with Drew. She wasn't feeling comfortable in their presence right. "I mean, really what else can we do other than talk?"

The group became quiet, as they thought about what May had just said. They could agree that she did in fact have a point.

"We could...play a game?" Ash suggested, looking at May making her slightly blush. He hadn't talked to her all day. In fact he was actually trying to avoid her. However, just as he couldn't hide from Dawn all day, he couldn't hide from May all day either. His best bet was to just stay quiet about kissing her until they can talk about it in private about it. Maybe.

Drew saw how May blushed when Ash spoke to her and instantly wondered what that was all about. He simply put his arm around May and let it go.

"Truth or dare should do." Gary smirked and winked at Leaf, but she whacked his arm."Ow! What was that for?" he asked while he rubbed his arm and stared hard at her.

"Because you're so immature at times. We're too old for that game, plus why would you even think about playing that in school? You _know_ how...frisky that game could get." Leaf was firing off at her boyfriend, but Gary put his arm around her to calm her down.

"Calm down, Leaf! I was just kidding, geesh. No need to get so defensive." Leaf simply rolled her eyes and leaned more into Gary, much to his liking. He actually enjoyed annoying her because he knew that she liked it when he did no matter how much she tried to hide it. He feels like he's in control when he annoys her.

Dawn laughed at the couple. She found them to be really cute together no matter how much Gary tended to pluck Leaf's nerves. She still loved him a lot. "So...what _can_ we play?" Dawn asked. She was pretty neutral on the whole idea of playing some sort of game to pass time by. It was a way some steam could be let off between Ash and her.

"I have one," Kai said. "'Never have I ever.'" The group looked at each other and nodded their heads. "So that's a yes?"

"Sure," May replied. "But how do you play? I've never heard of this game." Everyone turned to look at Kai for an answer. Even though everyone agreed to play, they didn't know how to play. It just sounded pretty interesting.

"Okay, well..." Kai thought, trying to find the best way to explain the game. "Okay, everyone puts up ten fingers. Someone has to say 'Never have I ever' done something. And if you have done it then you put your finger down. Whoever has the most fingers up wins. If you put all of your fingers down then you lose, but you have to be honest," Kai explained. He could still the see confused expression everyone's faces. "Ugh, this is an example. Never have I ever been in a Pokemon battle before. I know you all have been in one so, you would put one finger down, leaving you with nine fingers." Everyone at the table looked as if a light bulb just lit up above their head. "Good, now let's play. Who's starting off?" Kai asked. "Wait, I forgot to say this...whenever you put a finger down you have to explain what happened."

"Okay, I'll start off," Leaf said. "Never have I ever yelled at someone for no reason." Leaf, May, and Dawn put down a finger.

"All the girls _should_ put their fingers down for this one," Drew commented, smirking. "Girls and their 'time of the month.'" The boys chuckled at Drew's comment. They couldn't agree more with what their best friend had said. They've each experienced the wrath of their girlfriends for no apparent reason. "So May, tell them about the many times you yelled at me for no reason." This caused for the brunette to giggle and roll her eyes at her boyfriend.

"Well, I remember one time I yelled at Drew after he asked me if I liked pink or red roses better," May said. "I was having a bad day."

"More like, on your period that day," Drew mumbled earning chuckles from the boys and a smack from May. "Ow!" Drew held his cheek where May had slapped him. "That was unnecessary."

Ash chuckled and turned to Dawn. "Your turn."

Dawn thought for a few seconds before she remembered something. "Hm...I remember when Ash kissed me one time, I pushed him away and started fussing at him. But I don't know why," Dawn admitted. Ash shook his head at the bad memory while everyone else laughed.

"I'm agreeing with Drew on the period thing," Ash said. Dawn gave him a look, but she decided to ignore his comment.

"Leaf, you should have a _million_ stories for this one," Gary said earning himself a glare from Leaf.

"I fussed at Gary once for walking in on me while I was brushing my hair. I just felt the need to fuss at him." Leaf turned to face Gary with an innocent look on her face while the others laughed.

"Alright I have one," Dawn said. "Never have I ever snuck out of the house without getting caught."

Gary, Drew, Ash, and May put down their fingers.

"I snuck to Dawn's house a few times and my mom still doesn't know." Dawn blushed a little as Ash mentioned this. Ash glanced at his 'girlfriend' and smiled. Those nights where he snuck out of his house to go to Dawn's while her mom was asleep were some of the best times they've had. It was kind of like they weren't allowed to see each other because they knew that if they'd got caught, they would have been in trouble.

"Wonder what you two did," Drew said in a sly tone. "Anyways, I snuck out to see a contest and my parents didn't even know it," Drew said satisfied with himself. "I felt like such a badass that night." He gave his hair a flick and leaned back in the chair, cooly.

"Drew, you suck," Gary said seriously, giving him a stale-faced look which made the entire group laugh except for Drew of course. "Anyway, I snuck out to see Leaf one night. Though, I don't know why I snuck out when I can just leave," Gary said as he put his arm around Leaf and brought her closer to him.

"You wanted to be like me and feel like a badass," Drew smirked.

"Yeah, no," Gary said. "You're an idiot. Your turn May."

"Remember that night we all went to the beach at, like, midnight?" May asked, earning nods from everyone expect Kai. "I snuck out the house to go night and my mom or dad never suspected a thing. But, I think my little weirdo of a brother knows. But he hasn't said anything."

"Oh, I have one," Kai said. "Never have I ever got attacked by a Pokemon." He smirked as Ash's, Dawn's and Leaf's finger went down, including his.

"Pikachu charred me tons of times before and so has my Charizard," Ash said. The memory of being blazed with hot flames from his old pal Charizard made him shudder. And even being electrocuted by Pikachu made him freeze for a moment.

"Piplup got me quite a few times and so has Pachirisu," Dawn admitted.

"My Vulpix attacked me because I wouldn't brush her tails," Leaf spoke up. "She's so spoiled."

"My Shinx thundershocked me once because I wouldn't go talk to a girl." Kai let out a small laugh as he reminisced.

"Hey, I would have too," Drew said. "He was helping you. Anyways I have a good one. Never have I ever had sex before." Everyone put down a finger. Drew noticed that Ash and Dawn put down their fingers and this surprised him. He knew Ash was still a virgin - or at least he said so - and he knew Dawn was still a virgin - or at least she said so. "YOU TWO HAD SEX!" Drew shouted as he stood up and pointed at Ash and Dawn. The cafeteria went _very_ quiet and everyone turned to face Drew with astonished looks on their faces. "I-I mean SIX...you had six...drinks?"

"Just sit down, Drew," May whispered. Drew followed his 'girlfriends' command and sat back down quickly and quietly. The students awkwardly looked away and went back to their conversations or started new ones about the coordinator's outburst.

"Anyways~" Leaf said, turning her attention to Dawn. "I thought you were a virgin? When did this happen?" Leaf had a funny smirk on her face, though she couldn't help but feel a bit of anger because Dawn was like her little sister, so she was a bit protective over her.

Both Dawn's and Ash's faces flushed. They surely didn't want this attention on them. At least about them having sex. It was too awkward because of what their relationship was going through at the moment.

"Heh, I don't want to talk about it," Dawn answered, looking down at food which she hadn't touched since she'd arrived at the table.

"Me either..." Ash said, looking away from Dawn. His cheeks were on fire and he knew it; he could feel it. This was more embarrassing than when his mother would tell him to make sure he changed his underwear in front of his friends.

"Well, you _have_ to tell the story," Gary said. He was pretty amazed that the dense Ash Ketchum was able to get a girl...in bed. After all, it _was_ Ash they were talking about.

"At least tell us where you did it," Drew said. "Then we will _consider_ to leave you two alone."

Dawn exhaled and rolled her eyes. "You guys are pervs for _really _wanting to know. We were at his house, in his room and his mom was asleep in her room." She actually remembered that night quite perfectly. It was one of the nights that Ash snuck over to be with her.

"Wait!" Drew's outburst caused Dawn to jump out of her reminisce of that day. "Ash, you guys did it while your mom was home? How did she not hear all the noise?" Drew asked.

"Well, I...um..." Dawn's face was bright red from embarrassment. She was not comfortable talking about her sexual experience with Ash in front of Gary and Drew who were already pervs. And she _really _didn't want to talk about this in front of Kai. That made this moment even worse.

"Okay, enough about Dawn and me," Ash said finally.

"Okay, but Ash, we're talking about this later," Drew said. "I never thought you'd get Dawn like that. I can't believe you didn't tell us!"

"Well, it _is_ _our_ business and no one elses."

"Exactly!" Dawn agreed, glaring at Drew.

"Wait! What about you and May?" Kai asked Drew who threw a smirk in his direction. Kai was anxious to stop talking about Ash and Dawn having sex because it was making him jealous on the inside. He wasn't attracted to her sexually, however hearing a girl you like talking about having sex with another guy was not a good feeling.

"Heh, about that..." May trailed off her sentence and blushed.

"Guys, let's just drop this topic and move on," Gary said, getting annoyed.

"Someone's sexually frustrated," Kai said, causing the entire table to laugh except Gary. Even Leaf laughed because she knew it was true herself.

Gary sighed in annoyance and continued to the game. "Never have I ever kissed someone else while in a relationship or while the other person was in a relationship." Everyone's finger went down except May's for this one. "I'll start...I kissed another girl while dating Leaf. BUT," Gary said before Leaf could say something, "it was a long, long time ago and we've already discussed it."

"Whatever," Leaf said. "Does it count if you were kissed? Because if so, that's what happened," Leaf stated simply.

"Um...I kissed a girl while she was in a relationship..." Kai could feel his cheeks heating up. He looked at Dawn, who was staring at him with a faint pink covering her cheeks. He had a feeling that he shouldn't have said that.

"Wow, Kai," Drew said. "I didn't know you'd be the person to do something like that."

Kai just continued to blush and shrugged his shoulders. "It wasn't supposed to happen, I swear!" he protested, but Drew just slit his eyes at him in a playful, knowing way.

May noticed that Dawn put her finger down, which gave her a little idea. "Dawn, you kissed someone else while in a relationship?" May asked, faking her curiosity, despite her dirty deeds. "I thought you told me you never cheated on Lucas...and Ash is only your second boyfriend..."

The table looked at Dawn. Her so-called 'best friend' put her in a very bad position - and Dawn was pretty sure May knew what she was doing - and she couldn't think of a way to get herself out. The bluenette glanced at Kai, who was looking down so he could try to hide the guilt on his face. She didn't even dare to look at Ash. She could feel his cold eyes drilling a whole through her.

If May hadn't said anything, she was going to lie and tell everyone that she had kissed someone while in a relationship with Lucas. But, now that May had threw her under the bus, she really had no choice but to tell the truth.

Everyone was quiet until she spoke.

"Um...I-I didn't cheat on Lucas..." Dawn said honestly. If she'd only had two real boyfriends in her lifetime, one being Lucas and one being Ash, and she didn't cheat on Lucas...then it only left, "Ash..." Dawn whispered softly. She refused to look at him.

Ash didn't know what to say or do. His mind went blank. He felt like his heart stopped...Just in a few seconds, his heart broke. _Again._

"Y-you...cheated on me. W-how could you, Dawn?" Ash got up from the table and was about to walk away but Dawn got up too, and grabbed his hand. "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" he shouted, causing Dawn to flinch. He jerked away his hand from hers. Once again, everyone in the cafeteria stopped what they were doing and turned to the couple in the middle of the cafeteria. Ash wiped his eyes and glared at her..._hard._

"Ash please, just listen to me. Let me explain," Dawn pleaded. By now tears were rolling down her face.

"Explain what? You kissed some other guy. What is there to explain, Dawn?" Ash tried to remain strong, but he just couldn't. This was killing him and eating him away on the inside.

"Ash, please. Just give me a minute to explain," Dawn said as she wiped away her tears.

"Fine..." Ash said. Ash listened intently, as well as the whole cafeteria, as she started to explain herself.

"It happened on the night we had that big argument; last Saturday. A-after you left..." Dawn looked around, nervous to say the next part. "I went to Kai's house." Ash's eyes widened in shock. But before he could utter a word Dawn continued. "I-I was so sad, Ash. And I just kissed him...I don't know why, Ash. I didn't mean to." Dawn stared into Ash's eyes trying to find any sign of love that could still be in there, but she found nothing.

"Wow, Dawn." Ash shook his head in disbelief. "You know what, Dawn? I don't even care." He fixed his gaze to Kai, who flinched under his stare. Ash was thinking about punching Kai in the face, but instead he let it go. "You can have her, because I'm done." He looked back at Dawn. Her tears were running like faucets. "I gave you my heart. Why would you do this to me? What did I do wrong? I can name all of the things _you_ did wrong...and you know? If another guy went through half of the shit I went through with you, they would have broke up with their girl a _long_ time ago. But I didn't. I didn't because I _cared _about our relationship. I was willing to work through _anything _to fix us no matter how much it hurt. Because I loved you! But _none_ of that matters anymore. I'm done with you, Dawn. _We are over!"_

Dawn just stood there, taking in every single of Ash's words. Each word drove a knife deeper into her heart.

Ash shook his head and let the tears run down on the side of his face. "You're the last person that I'd suspect to do something like this. But I guess since we're confessing..." Ash trailed off his sentence.

He knew that what he was about to say was only going to hurt her more. He didn't like hurting Dawn, in fact he hated it; it was something he couldn't stand to do. But, his own heart was broken into shreds and disregarded casually as if it were nothing. He wanted her to feel the same way he does, and maybe even worse for what she put him through.

"Your _best friend_, May, kissed me. And I'm not gonna lie...I kissed her back and liked it." Dawn's mouth dropped open. He could tell that she was hurt by it, but he had to do it. Everyone in the cafeteria gasped, but didn't say a word because they wanted to see what was going to be said next.

Drew took his arm from around May and stood up quickly looking back and fourth between Ash and May with horror and anger on his face. He couldn't even explain how he was feeling. His girlfriend kissed his best friend? And his best friend kissed his girlfriend? This was too much...

"Sorry, Drew..." As soon as Ash said that, the lights switched back on. He turned around and walked out of the cafeteria, with everyone's eyes fixed on him, and with tears running non-stop down his face...

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: ...Welp. To be honest, I am completely lost for words myself. Some of you may hate me for this, but eh, oh well :p story's not over yet. All~ I'm saying.<strong>

**Well, please review. I'm very anxious for them for this chapter x]**

**Since I left off right here, I will try my best to have the next chapter out soon, but no promises!**

**Until next time, lovely readers...**

**- Angel _o/**


	19. Reached Limits, Trouble, and a Solution?

**Author's Notes: Hello guys! :D I would have had this chapter up like a week ago, but I've been so incredibly busy and tired this week so I had to put this aside for a while. Anyways, I'm really starting to get back into writing again plus this chapter isn't long, so yeah :p but the fact that I'm really starting to get back into writing again is great! :D**

**Anyways, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! :D I was really amused reading you guys' reviews because a lot of you seemed to be surprised ;) haha, just what I wanted. I hope you guys are somewhat surprised by this chapter too.**

**Oh yeah, to the anon reviewer who tried to pose as shadowkittyxX, yeah, I totes knew it wasn't really her. We're like best friends and we text everyday, so you failed trying to frame her and leave a bad review. You didn't even get her username right, lol. Be smarter and think next time when trying to pretend to be someone else. kThanks.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter :]**

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><p>"Whoa..." was the only single word you heard from one of the students in the cafeteria. Other than that, no one else said a word. Everyone just remained quiet, taking in the scene that had just taken place in front of them.<p>

Dawn stood in the center of the cafeteria with all eyes on her, tears streaming down her face, heart broken. She was at lost for words. And it made her feel even more horrible finding out that her supposed to be so-called 'best friend' had kissed her now _ex-_boyfriend while dating Drew. She knew that her and May weren't on good terms, but did she really have to kiss Ash behind her back?

That might have explained the look May gave her before she got to the table.

But, before _anyone_ really could move or say a word Professor Oak rushed back into the cafeteria with his megaphone firmly in his hand. He turned it on and spoke immediately into the megaphone. "As you can see, the lights have been restored so classes will resume as normal. Everyone please exit the cafeteria and head to your fourth block class. You have five minutes. If you are not there on time, you _will_ be marked tardy and have to come see me in my office." The old professor looked around the cafeteria with a stern look and exited calmly through the cafeteria doors.

Groans sounded as students all over the cafeteria began to make slow movements towards their class.

However, Dawn, May, Drew, Gary and Leaf stayed where they were, still being shocked by what had just taken place.

Drew now - for the first time in a _long _time - had tears trailing down his face one after another as he held a look of pure anger on his face. His fist were balling up, with his nails digging in his skin causing his palms to turn red. He was _glaring_ at May, however he had another person on his mind.

May's heart was beating like a bass drum hard in her chest. She couldn't believe Ash had just told Dawn and basically Drew as well as the _entire_ cafeteria that they had kissed. She knew for a fact that Drew and her were as good as over. Which, surprisingly broke her heart. Tears were beginning to blur her eyesight. She studied Dawn and she began to feel bad for her despite how much she was mad at her. Now, she kind of wished she hadn't put Dawn on the spot the way she did. May _wanted _to turn around so she could look at Drew, but she didn't think that was a good idea what-so-ever. She could practically feel his eyes burning mini holes through her.

Now, she was beginning to feel bad for everything she'd done: be a bad friend to Dawn, be a bad girlfriend to Drew, and kiss Ash.

Dawn was not only heartbroken, but also brewing with anger. Her expression went from sad to anger as she glared at May. The fact that she had kissed Ash, was not settling with her even if she had kissed Kai.

Gary and Leaf were both astounded. Their mouths were in perfect _o_ shapes. They each were bracing themselves for anything because they had a feeling that _something _was about to happen. Leaf looked at her boyfriend, speechless just in time to catch his eyes.

And just as quickly as they turned their heads, Dawn took off towards May, causing the many students who had not yet made it out of the cafeteria to spur in excitement and quickly run over.

May's eyes widened when she realized that Dawn was coming after her. However, she was too late to move when Dawn practically lunged over the table, tackling May hard onto the cold tile floor.

The students formed a circle around the girls, many getting out their cellphones and recording while yelling various things to encourage the girls to fight.

Dawn grabbed a handful of May's hair and pulled hard on it and slapped her. May scrambled under Dawn, yelling in pain as the bluenette attacked her. May thrashed about and punched Dawn. However, this was an accident. May didn't punch Dawn on purpose because she _didn't _want to fight her. But, as she thought about it, she wasn't going to sit around and let Dawn smack her around.

"BITCH FIGHT!" someone called from the side in an excited tone.

"DON'T LET HER PUNCH YOU DAWN! HIT HER!"

"PUNCH HER AGAIN, MAY!"

"THOSE CHICKS ARE HOT!"

The instigating crowd was enough to anger Dawn and encourage her to keep fighting. Dawn cursed at May, balled her fist up and punched her square in the nose causing May to scream in pain. May'd had enough now. She grabbed a handful of Dawn's long blue locks and yanked her hair hard, making her tumble down on May. She took this advantage and rolled over, so she had the upper hand.

She slapped Dawn and was about to throw a punch when someone had pulled May off Dawn who was thrashing to get free. "May, stop it!" the voice sounded familiar, which made her stop thrashing about. "What are you thinking?" the voice continued. Now, May caught on to the voice. It was Leaf.

"She started it!" May yelled, staring at Dawn. The bluenette's hair was all over the place and her cheek were red from where May had punched her, but May had a feeling her appearance was worse.

Just before Dawn could yell back at May, Professor Oak came running into the cafeteria which made the students quickly scatter and run out of the cafeteria. The professor looked at the two girls with a disappointed but fierce expression on his face. "You two," he said pointedly. "Come into my office. Now!" He helped Dawn off the floor and Leaf let go of May. "Leaf, would you mind coming too?" He wanted her there as a witness.

Leaf glared at her two friends and followed behind the girls as they walked, keeping a close eye on each of them to make sure they didn't try to kill each other again.

**x-x-x**

Drew watched as Dawn launch towards his ex-girlfriend which had spurred him on. Usually, he would have stayed to watch a girl fight, but he had business he had to take care of on his own. And watching the bluenette throw herself on May had gave them the adrenaline to dash out of the cafeteria. He knew just where he was headed and _who _he was looking for.

Gary noticed Drew take off, and he instantly knew what was about to happen. Gary quickly got up and told Leaf, "You get those two." He ran out of the cafeteria just in time to get ahead of a big crowd of students who _knew_ what was about to go down. The students had also dashed out of the cafeteria after seeing Drew and Gary run out in such a hurry in hope that they could see some action.

Drew rushed down the hallway, pushing or nearly knocking over anyone who was in his way. He was unaware of his brunette-haired friend chasing behind him and of the crowd of the students rushing behind who wanted to see a fight.

Drew only had one thing on his mind and that was finding _Ash._

He was _so _mad at Ash for kissing May. How could his own best friend kiss _his _girlfriend? What _friend_ does that?

Usually Drew wasn't the fighting type of person - he claimed he was "too sexy" for fighting, however he wasn't going to let anyone get away with kissing his girlfriend.

He didn't even think this through properly to see if it would all be necessary. In fact, he didn't think much at all when he'd finally caught up with Ash and tackled him to the ground. The nearby students stopped what they were doing and quickly became enticed by the two boys wrestling on the ground.

Drew had managed to pin Ash down on the floor, with him trying to push Drew off of him. Drew made his hand into a fist and delivered a strong blow to Ash's cheek, and another to his nose. Ash grunted in pain and the crowd moaned as if _they_ felt the pain from Drew's punch - that's just how hard it was.

The chautreuse-haired boy was just about to throw another punch, when Gary aggressively dragged Drew off Ash and put him in a head lock, yelling at him, "What the hell is your problem?"

"He kissed _my _girl!" Drew yelled back. However he wasn't looking at Gary, he was staring at Ash with fire in his eyes as he yelled this.

Ash was being held back by a well-built security guard. Ash's cheek was swelled up a bit and it was also turning a faint blue and red where Drew had punched him and blood ran slowly from his nose.

In a matter of seconds, the assistant principal came running down the hallway. Upon seeing the principal, the students crowding around quickly dispersed and headed to their respective class to avoid getting any form of punishment for watching and potentially instigating.

The tall, mean-looking woman looked at the two boys who were being restrained and shook her head saying, "You two come with me to my office. _Now_." She turned her attention to Gary, "And I want you to come as well, so you can explain to me what happened." She turned on her heels and walked towards her office, expecting for the boys to follow her.

Gary pushed Drew out of his arms so he could proceed to walk.

Ash jerked away from the security guard and walked behind Gary. In his mind, he was thinking how could this day get any worse. He'd already broken up with his girlfriend, he'd gotten into a fight, now he was headed down to the principal's office. Who knows what kind of punishment he'd receive. And he didn't even want to think about what his mother would say after she found out.

**x-x-x**

Professor Oak sat at the desk in his office with his hands entwined together on top as he looked at Dawn and May who were sitting in chairs in front of his desk. Leaf stood in the between the two chairs, separating them with her arms folded.

"You know, I'm _very _disappointed in you two," Professor Oak started. The disappointment and hurt was clear in his voice as he spoke, "Aren't you supposed to be friends? I'd _never_ suspect for the two of you to be fighting. You're much better than that. Tell me what happened." At the same time, Dawn and May tried to explain what had happened, but Professor Oak quickly stopped them, rasing a hand up in a _stop _motion. "One at-"

Just at that moment, the assistant principal burst through the door, cutting off Professor Oak. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Professor, but we have a problem..."

"A problem?" The professor stood up from his desk and walked over to the assistant principal.

"There was a fight. Between two boys - Ash and Drew. I think _you_ should handle this." She suggested Samuel take care of the situation because he knew the boys personally and thought he would handle it better.

When the three girls heard the boys' names, they all gasped and tried to look out of the door. They already knew the reason why they'd fought. All they had to do was put two and two together and they had their answer.

"Your grandson is in the office with them. He broke up the fight. I invited him so he could tell me what happened."

"Alright," Professor Oak said. His face held and expression of surprise as he shook his head. "What is going on?" He looked at the girls who just turned their heads to avoid his gaze. "You handle these girls - I think it'd be better that way anyway...I'll deal with the boys. These two, Dawn and May were fighting, and Leaf broke them apart. I'm not sure what's going on, but _don't _be lenient with them." Upset, Professor Oak stormed out of his office, slamming the door shut behind him.

Samuel did not like what he was hearing. Dawn and May fighting? Now Ash and Drew? Something was definitely up, and the thing that got him the most was that they were all close friends...or supposed to be.

The tall woman walked behind the desk and sat in the chair, placing her hands on top of the desk. She noticed that both girls had bright red cheeks. Also May's nose was bruised a bit where Dawn had punched her.

"Girls," she eyed all three girls, "I want to know what happened. Young lady - Leaf is it? - can you tell me what happened?" Her light blue icy eyes settled on Leaf's soft brown eyes as she waited for the girl to speak up.

Leaf really didn't want to get her friends in trouble, but then again she thought they'd deserve it for how they had been acting. Especially after the stunt they'd pulled in the cafeteria. Now that Leaf thought about it, she had a lot to say to them. And maybe she could while they were in the office.

"Well," Leaf began, "as you know, there was a blackout. We were in the middle of our lunch shift at the time, so upon hearing that we would have had a free period, we wanted to pass time by playing a game. Um, well, the game caused some secrets to come out and these two lost their cool, and apparently the two other boys who were fighting - Ash and Drew - had too."

Out of curiousity, the principal interrupted Leaf, "Okay. I don't mean to get in you girls' business, but what exactly was said that caused this...this eruption. Because I knew that all three of you girls were best friends according to Samuel Oak. With you saying that secrets came out and these two fighting...it doesn't seem like you girls are good friends to each other."

All three girls nodded their heads. Dawn and May could agree with her on that. They absolutely _weren't _being good friends towards one another.

"Um," Leaf thought of what to say next. "Dawn here, _was_ dating Ash and May _was_ dating Drew. The game we played was called 'Never Have I Ever' and someone said 'Never have I ever cheated while in a relationship.' The majority of us put a finger down...and May pointed out Dawn on this. Dawn told the truth of what she'd done which caused Ash to break up with her. And right before he left the cafeteria, Ash told Dawn that he kissed her best friend, May - who _was _dating _his_ best friend, Drew - and liked it." This made the principal gasp in surprise but she let Leaf continue. "I guess after everything hit Dawn, anger built up and that's when she jumped over the table and tackled May to the ground."

Dawn and May both sat in the chair, now stewing in their own guilt as they listened to Leaf explain what happened. They both felt idiotic. At this point, they wished they could rewind so they could change the past because now, they can just _tell _that the future isn't looking too bright for them. And not only punishment wise, but relationship wise.

"Okay..." the woman sighed and got up from her desk chair. She walked around towards the front of the desk and leaned back on it with her arms folded, looking at Dawn and May. "Believe it or not, I was in this same predicament when I was in high school. So let me get this straight." She laid her eyes on Dawn. "Were you hanging around some other guy, and was Ash getting jealous?"

The bluenette's mouth slipped open just a little as she slowly nodded her head. "Yes, ma'am."

Now she looked at May. "And did you have a crush on Ash, get upset with Dawn that she's been hanging around with another guy, and get jealous because you thought Ash deserved something better; preferably you? Also, did you start to kind of get away from Drew once you became so focused on Ash and Dawn's relationship?"

"Yes..." May said quietly.

"And you, Miss Leaf." Finally she laid her eyes on the brunette. "Were you just sitting back, quietly observing your friends' behavior? Taking both sides and feeling stuck in between?"

"Definitely..." Leaf breathed out. "H-how did you get this so head on?"

"I told you, I went through this exact same situation when I was in highschool. In this situation, _I_ was _Dawn_. See, I had a wonderful boyfriend just like you did. We were the happy-go-lucky couple of the school - the favorite couple of the school. However, our relationship came to an end when this new guy transferred in and started hanging around me. My boyfriend didn't like it, though he never said much - though we _did_ have a talk or two - because he thought he could trust me. Then, I had my best friend who _I _thought I could trust. My best friend would have been you, May. She didn't like that fact that I was hanging so much around this other guy, when I had such an amazing boyfriend. And _because _she liked _my _boyfriend, she cared a lot for him. Now, I knew my friend liked my boyfriend, but I trusted her because she had her own boyfriend and because we were just that close. I knew she wouldn't betray me.

But, the more I started hanging around this guy, the more irritated she got with me and eventually she started giving me the cold shoulder. But, I learned that the reason why she was so worried about my relationship and my boyfriend was because she cared. She cared about me and she cared about him. It all made sense why she acted the way she did towards me, though, the right thing for her to do would have been to talk to me personally about it and get _everything _she was feeling out instead of going behind my back, kissing my boyfriend, and being rude to me. So, May I understand but you still should have approached Dawn instead of going in the opposite direction. But, anyways, I can't blame my friend for anything because I know that I started everything. I shouldn't have been practically abandoning my boyfriend for another guy who I had a crush on. Never leave your love for a crush - I came to understand that. And Dawn, you have to understand that too. Realize that what you've been doing all along was bad and hurting Ash. Even if it's too late to fix your relationship, it's never too late to apologize. You two can at least be friends if all else fails.

and Leaf." Finally the older woman focused her attention on Leaf. "My other best friend would have been you. She kept quiet, analyzed weird behavior, and let my other friend and me to talk to her when needed. That was when she would maybe voice her opinion. I know it had to be tough feeling stuck in the middle, but I can tell that you handled it very well. Now, I'm not going to force you girls, May and Dawn, to become friends again because it's not up to me, but at least talk this out. Think about your mistakes, apologize, whatever. Leaf, I know you have some things on your mind that you want to say, so while I go call these girls' mothers and decide on a punishment, I want you to get what you feel out. Okay?"

Leaf nodded her head. The principal gave the girls one last stern look and calmly walked out of the office. Leaf waited until the door was closed before she walked up to the desk so she was standing in front of the girls.

Crossing her arms, and giving the girls a serious gaze she said, "I really could not be any more angry with the both of you right now. You were _both _out of line. May you shouldn't have threw Dawn under the bus like that, and Dawn you shouldn't have attacked her." Leaf dropped her arms and paced back and fourth a few times before returning to her position in front of the desk.

May and Dawn simply remained quiet. They forced themselves not to make eye contact with each other, even though they really wanted to out of urge.

"Okay, Dawn, I'm going to start with you. I'm going to be completely honest with you, okay?"

The bluenette nodded her head when she looked up at Leaf. She was ready for whatever Leaf was about to say to her, but mentally she _wasn't _ready. She had a feeling that what Leaf was about to say would be harsh.

"Okay, Dawn, when you first came to me about liking Kai, I was literally mind-blown. Why? Well, because, honestly, I didn't expect that from you. Yeah, you can't control your feelings, but like I said before, Dawn, you didn't have to act on your feelings. You flirted with him on purpose because of how you felt about him. That's just digging your own grave, if you think about it. Excuse me for what I'm about to say, but Dawn, you were being a fucking idiot. You weren't thinking! Why would you flirt with another guy while you had a boyfriend? You led Kai on, Dawn. You led him on, so he kept liking you and your feelings for him got stronger. Like, you were acting like a little girl wh iss so crazy about boys that she forgets who _really _loves her and she _really _loves. Dawn, sweetie, you put Ash through so much pain. Gary called _me _for advice to give to Ash because he was going crazy over you. I told you to stay on friendly terms with Kai and work on your relationship with Ash. Not become even more friendlier with Kai and destroy Ash and yours relationship.

I really don't know what was going through your head, Dawn, but seriously, you need to get it together. Though, it may be too late now. I think you've really done it this time, Dawn by kissing Kai. I'd love to - well _want _to - help you and Ash, but first you have to get your head right. And, honestly, I don't think it's worth it because...well, what you told me that day in the park..._maybe_ the break up was a good thing because of that, but it's not a good way of breaking up. However, I'm not saying that Ash and you can't be friends...at least. I think I got what I wanted to say to you off my chest. Had I intervened while this was still going on, I would have way more...but it's too late since you and Ash are over now."

Dawn only nodded her head. There was nothing she could say because she knew Leaf was right. She couldn't even be mad with her. Dawn only knew her friend was speaking the truth.

"Now, May." Leaf looked at the brunette and automatically face palmed. May fidgeted in her seat. She was pretty anxious to hear what Leaf was going to say to her. "May, I'm going to be straight forward with you. You were a total _bitch_ to Dawn. You are the last person I suspect to come off as a bitch...but you sure did surprise me. First off, you should have been a _real _friend to Dawn and expressed how you felt about what she was doing to Ash instead of secretly despising her. What so-called 'best friend' does that? And on top of that, your feelings for Ash start to suddenly surface - I know you can't control your feelings - and you start straying away from Drew for Ash who's taken by your best friend? May, no, that was incredibly idiotic of you - _don't leave someone you love for someone you like._ And last, you kiss Ash who's in a relationship and also while you're in a relationship. That's like a whole ne level of dirty. You were hurting Drew and you didn't even know it, I can only imagine what he must be feeling now.

Especially with the way you've been brushing him off lately. You're, like, the only girl he's ever loved _this _much and you do him like this? I, honestly, find that worse than what Dawn did. I mean, at least Kai wasn't in a relationship when Dawn kissed him! You kissing Ash only made things more complicated, May!" Leaf threw her hands up in frustration again and paced before she stopped and began talking again. _"Both _of you screwed up. Dawn if you would have never started screwing around with Kai, May wouldn't have acted like a total bitch and Ash and you would have a great relationship right now. And May, if you would've actually talked to Dawn one-on-one instead of coming to me, then I'm sure Dawn would have woke up and stopped what she was doing, Drew and you would be happy and everything would be normal like old times.

Ugh, you guys _know _I love you to death, but you two need to make up and talk this out. _Something. _I'm not going to force you, but it'd be a step to make things right again." Leaf finally stopped talking and looked at the two girls. They both looked almost as if they were embarrassed with how they acted now that Leaf pointed it out to them.

Dawn folded her arms and turned her head. There was absolutely no way she could talk to May right now. Not after hearing that she and Ash kissed. Not after having a fight with her.

May felt the same way. She couldn't find it in her heart to speak to Dawn right now, either. Not after their fight. Not after their fight. Not after she kissed Ash.

Leaf huffed and rolled her eyes before storming out of the office right when the assistant principal re-entered the office. She watched Leaf leave, then looked at the girls who'd looked ashamed.

**x-x-x**

"Hey," a familiar voice greeted as they approached Leaf. The brunette turned around to see Gary standing behind her with a look of worry on his face. Leaf shared the same look. "How did it go?"

Leaf sighed and let her eyes roll before she answered, "Not so good. I had some stuff to say to them..." She trailed off her sentence and helplessly sighed again. "What about you?"

"Same here," Gary said as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was feeling stressed with everything now. "I don't know what to do with the nimrods."

"Gary, we have to fix this. We can't just let everyone's friendship go down the drain like this. It's like, everything is totally screwed up now."

"I agree, Leaf." Gary put his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "But really, what can we do? Ash and Drew don't seem like they're going to budge any time soon to talk with each other. I doubt Drew will take May back and if he does, it won't be for a while. And I _know _Ash isn't going to take Dawn back."

"Gary, we don't have to get them to be couples again. Friends first. And I can say the same that Dawn and May aren't going to be talking to each other for a while."

Gary sighed and leaned on the locker. "Leaf, I really don't think this can be fixed..."

Leaf folded her arms and starting thinking of ways that she could get everyone to be friends again. Just when she thought she didn't have a plan, a small smile curved her lips. She turned to Gary who gave her a strange look. "I have a plan, but it'll take you, Kai, and me." She got a bit excited in the inside. Her plan wasn't perfect, but it was _something _and just hopefully it'll work.

"I'm listening..."

"Okay, well, first we get everyone back to being friends. I'll try to get Dawn and May to come to my house without them knowing that either one is coming and I will _make _them sit down and talk about it. With a friendship like theirs, it won't be lost forever. _You _invite Drew and Ash to your house so they can settle their difference and then Kai so he can talk with Ash...well, we will think that through because that could actually be a bit dangerous. Anyway, then we could somehow get Drew and May to sit down and talk to work out their differences. I have a feeling that they'll actually be easy to get together."

Gary nodded his head in approval to Leaf's plan and charmed her with a smile. "Okay, so basically just force everyone to sit down and talk this out? That actually sounds like it might work - basic plan, but simple. With Ash and Drew's friendship, they should actually be bros again in no time. And I think the small talk I gave them will help."

"Same here with May and Dawn."

"Kai - like you said - I'll think over that. Ash might just really hate him, but we'll see. And once Drew and May get together, we can focus on getting Ash and Dawn back together."

_"Ooh..." _Just that quick, Leaf's smile faded when she remembered a very important detail about Dawn."Heh, yeah..." She remembered what Dawn had told her. "There's just a problem...I'm not sure if it would really be worth it actually getting Ash and Dawn back together again..."

"What?"

The brown-haired girl moved closer to Gary, looked around and stood on her tip-toes so she could whisper into Gary's ear for safe measure. "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but..." Leaf closed her mouth and exhaled before she continued. "Dawn is moving back to Sinnoh."

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: O: Well if you guys remember from a few chapters back when Leaf and Dawn were talking at the park and Dawn had something to tell Leaf...that was what she told her, that she was moving back to Sinnoh. ;) And another problem is added.<strong>

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I hope I have you guys on your toes x)**

**Please review! :]**

**Oh! And guess what today is~! MY BIRTHDAY! :D hehe, I'm really excited, but now I shall go to bed. It's 1 in the morning and I have school in the morning. /: But, until next time my lovely readers~**

**- Angel _o/**


	20. Roads to Friendship?

**Author's Notes: _o/ Hi, everyone! :D Finally, I took some time off and wrote this chapter. School is really taking up all of my free time, so yeah. :| But, the important thing is that I found time to sit down and write out this chapter. **

**And I'd like to think everyone that read and reviewed last chapter! :D Thank you so much, guys! I really appreciate the reviews! :D And you guys are getting me close to 400 reviews which is my next goal! :D So keep the awesome reviews coming please! :D**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)**

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><p>Silence filled the small enclosed office. The only sound being heard was the constant ticking of the clock as each second passed. It seemed like forever until someone spoke.<p>

Three boys sat in small, uncomfortable chairs in front of Professor Oak. Two holding their head in shame and one upset by the day's events.

Gary sat in a chair in between Ash and Drew's chairs. Ash sat on Gary's left and Drew sat on the right. And Professor Oak sat at his desk in front of them. His hands were entwined together neatly on top of his desk and his face held an expression of pure disappointment.

Finally the silence was broken. "Ash, Drew, Gary," the old man said. His voice was calm, despite how angry he was on the inside. "I don't even want to _know _why you two were fighting." He directed this pointedly at Drew and Ash. "I am _so _disappointed in both of you. Actually, all three of you young men. Gary because he allowed this to happen." Gary was about to object when Samuel gave him a look. Gary rolled his eyes and remained quiet. "But you two I am the most disappointed in. I have known you two ever since you were little. I know your parents and I know they raised you better than to get in a fist fight with someone. Let alone, a _best friend. _From as far as I know, you two have been best friends since preschool up until now. I don't know why you two just decide to fight each other. I'm sure it was over something ridiculous as all fights are-"

_"He _kissed my girl-" Drew tried to get across the fact that he and Ash didn't fight over a ridiculous reason; however Professor Oak did not want to hear it. He silenced Drew by putting his hand up.

"Honestly, I am not interested in the story. No matter what Ash has did, he is _your_ best friend. No matter how messed up it is, you can not let anything break you two apart. Especially if all of this is over a girl. That is just nonsense." Samuel eyed Ash and Drew.

Drew bit on his bottom lip. He understood where Professor Oak was coming from, but a friend does not kiss their friend's girlfriend. Regardless of the situation. That was truly unforgivable in Drew's eyes.

"Think about this," Samuel said, directing this at all three boys, but mainly Ash and Drew. "You've had your best friend for thirteen years and your girlfriend for what, two? Best friends are forever. Girlfriends technically aren't. So with that said...who will be there at the end of the day for you the most?"

All three boys thought about this. Professor Oak was right. Now that they thought about it, they were always there for each other, picking one another up when they were down. They told each other everything, helped each other with everything. Though this incident was huge, how could Ash and Drew let it really come between their friendship?

"Think about that while I go make calls." Professor Oak eyed the boys then eyed Gary. He held eye contact with his grandson for a moment before he smoothly stood up from his office chair and walked out of the office, shutting the door behind him.

The three teen boys remained quiet. Ash and Drew were reminiscing on their fight and why it happened in the first place.

Gary was thinking of what to say.

Finally, he knew. "Guys," Gary said. Both Ash and Drew gave their brunette haired friend their attention. They had a feeling they were about to hear it from him. "Ash, I can't believe you kissed May. I mean, come on man...why? You had your own girlfriend who was already giving you a bad time, but you go an decide to kiss Drew's girlfriend? Dude, that is really fucked up. It was almost as if you were trying to ruin their relationship because yours was headed down the drain. I'm sure that wasn't your intention, but _whatever _happened between May and you, you should have stepped up and said no. You should have kept in mind that you already had a girlfriend, and what you were doing to your best friend was wrong.

I'd never expect something like that from you, Ash. Not even Drew would go _that _low. And how you came out with it today in the cafeteria was really harsh too. I could tell you just wanted someone else to be hurt because you were hurt too. That's not cool man. I mean, you just threw it out there and walked out as if it were nothing. I see why Drew chased after you like that, _but" _- now he focused on Drew - "Drew, you should have kept your cool dude. I see why you were angry and just wanted to release all that anger, but you should have been the bigger person and not run after him and attacked him the way you did.

Now, _both _of you have to face the consequences because both of you made stupid decisions. The thing is, you two are too close to let this get to both of you. Both of you are stubborn, so I know neither of you will talk to each other...What happened to that promise we made to each other; never let _anything _split our friendship? No matter how bad it was."

"Gary, we were young when we said that," Drew spoke up. He remembered clear as day when they had made that pact. They were all in Kindergarten and had declared themselves to be best friends forever then they made that promise to each other and sealed it with pink swears. "We didn't know something like this would happen. If I did, I would have never made that stupid promise."

The way Drew spoke angered the brunette. "It doesn't matter how long ago the promise was!" Gary's voice raised as he said this. "And we even told each other this a few months ago, Drew! The thing is, it was a promise and we've stuck to it all these years despite how many times we were ready to tear each other apart. What makes this situation any different from _our _past situations? It shouldn't. What I'm saying is you two need to remain loyal to your friendship because you two are too close to act this way towards each other. I love both of you and I am not letting your friendship end like this." Gary exhaled heavily and stood up. He was making himself stressed. "It's called forgive and _forget._"

And with that last statement spoken, Gary walked out of the office as soon as Professor Oak came back in. The old man noticed how upset his grandson looked and figured he said what he had to say.

"Your mothers are on the way..." Professor Oak told the two boys.

**x-x-x**

Gary shook his head as he walked down the hall way, leaving the office. He was still in disbelief that Ash and Drew had pushed each other to that limit. Though, Drew was the one who started the fight, he blamed Ash for beginning the entire situation. Had Ash not kissed May to begin with, nothing would be going on between his two friends. He didn't like this at all.

He hoped they both took what he said to heart and would get over themselves and work things out. If he had to sit and force them to talk to each other and clear everything up, he definitely will. As of now, Gary was determined to get Ash and Drew to be friends again. Even if it would take forever.

Gary spotted Leaf leaning on the lockers in deep thought. Walking over to her, he said, "Hey, how'd it go?" She looked up at him with a look of worry on her face.

Leaf sighed and let her eyes roll before she answered, "Not so good. I had some stuff to say to them..." She trailed off her sentence and helplessly sighed again. "What about you?"

"Same here," Gary said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what to do with the nimrods."

"Gary, we have to fix this. We can't just let everyone's friendship go down the drain like this. It's like, everything is totally screwed up now."

"I agree, Leaf." Gary put his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "But really, what can we do? Ash and Drew don't seem like they're going to budge any time soon to talk with each other. I doubt Drew will take May back and if he does, it won't be for a while. And I _know _Ash isn't going to take Dawn back."

"Gary, we don't have to get them to be couples again. Friends first. And I can say the same that Dawn and May aren't going to be talking to each other for a while."

Gary sighed and leaned on the locker. "Leaf, I really don't think this can be fixed..."

Leaf folded her arms and starting thinking of ways that she could get everyone to be friends again. Just when she thought she didn't have a plan, a small smile curved her lips. She turned to Gary who gave her a strange look. "I have a plan, but it'll take you, Kai, and me." She got a bit excited in the inside. Her plan wasn't perfect, but it was _something _and just hopefully it'll work.

"I'm listening..." Gary raised an eyebrow. His heart began to race as he waited for her to speak. He was anxious to hear what her plan, because it could possibly work. She normally had decent plans.

"Okay, well, first we get everyone back to being friends. I'll try to get Dawn and May to come to my house without them knowing that either one is coming and I will _make _them sit down and talk about it. With a friendship like theirs, it won't be lost forever. _You _invite Drew and Ash to your house so they can settle their difference and then Kai so he can talk with Ash...well, we will think that through because that could actually be a bit dangerous. Anyway, then we could somehow get Drew and May to sit down and talk to work out their differences. I have a feeling that they'll actually be easy to get together."

Gary nodded his head in approval to Leaf's plan and charmed her with a smile. "Okay, so basically just force everyone to sit down and talk this out? That actually sounds like it might work - basic plan, but simple. With Ash and Drew's friendship, they should actually be cool again in no time. And I think the small talk I gave them will help."

"Same with May and Dawn."

"Kai - like you said - I'll think over that. Ash might just really hate him, but we'll see. And once Drew and May get together, we can focus on getting Ash and Dawn back together."

_"Ooh..." _Just that quick, Leaf's smile faded when she remembered a very important detail about Dawn."Heh, yeah..." She remembered what Dawn had told her. "There's just a problem...I'm not sure if it would really be worth it actually getting Ash and Dawn back together again..."

"What?"

The brown-haired girl moved closer to Gary, looked around and stood on her tip-toes so she could whisper into Gary's ear for safe measure. "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but..." Leaf closed her mouth and exhaled before she continued. "Dawn is moving back to Sinnoh."

Gary's mouth dropped. He did not see that coming at all. "Wh-...wow..." The male brunette did not know to say. "W-wow...when did you find this out?"

"Dawn told me a couple of weeks ago. She told me not to say anything yet. I was really shocked too."

"So that means, Ash and her were going to have to break up anyway...?" Leaf pressed her lips together and nodded her head. "I hate to say this, but I guess their break up was...worth it. I guess we don't have to worry about them then."

"What? No! We still have to work on them Gary. We just have to get them to be friends again, at least. Ash was only Dawn's second boyfriend and she loves him way more than she did Lucas, _so _we can't Dawn leave her first love with a bad taste in her mouth. You _never_ forget first loves, and I doubt Dawn wants to remember how they left each other...it'd bring the poor girl to tears every time she'd think about him."

"You're right...well we will have to somehow make them _friends _again and fast. When is she moving?"

"She told me the day after prom..."

"Holy sh- that's three weeks!" Gary exclaimed in shock. He didn't know how they would make things better in three weeks.

"Yeah," Leaf said while she nodded her head. "So, we need to work fast. First you worry about getting the boys to be friends again and I'll get Dawn and May friends again. And we'll go from there."

Gary nodded his head in understanding. "When do we start this plan?"

"I...don't know," Leaf answered honestly. "Everyone needs to cool down a bit. Um, we can both try tomorrow or Wednesday?"

"Tomorrow. The sooner we get the plan going, the sooner everyone will be happy again."

"Alright, we'll start tomorrow then. I really hope this works, Gary." Leaf sighed and reached for Gary's hand and held it in hers. Gary reacted by entwining their hands together and stepping closer towards her. "I hate to see our friends like this.."

"Me too. Let's just hope everything falls into place." The brown-haired boy gave her a small, reassuring smile before he kissed her, much to her surprise; however that didn't stop her from kissing him back.

Leaf broke the kiss, and smiled up at him. "It's funny how we're the only normal couple left."

He then wrapped his arms around Leaf, bringing her into a warm, comforting hug. "We've already been through our problems. Remember?"

"Yeah...How could I forget? It really brought us closer and now our relationship is...perfect." Leaf smiled against her boyfriend's chest.

"I think what we went through was kind of like a test. You know, test our love. We definitely passed." Gary looked down at Leaf who was now looking at him. He saw a sparkle in her eyes and smiled. He was glad for everything they'd went through, because like Leaf had sad, it had brought them closer. He bent his down to kiss her softly on the lips.

Being with Leaf right now, was taking his mind off the situation and he was glad for it. The only thing he had on his mind about it was that he hoped Ash and Dawn and May and Drew would pass the test.

**x-x-x**

Ash trudged up the stairs when he'd gotten home. His mother wasn't please at all hearing that her son had gotten into a fight at school. Ash had really heard it from her all the way home. He didn't blame her though, because if he were a parent and had gotten a call from his child's school on news that they'd gotten into a fight, he'd be pretty upset too.

When Ash made it up to his room, he plopped on the bed. On his mind, was Drew, what had happened, and Dawn. And the only question he could ask himself was _"Why?"_ Why did all of this have to happen to him?

"Ash, give me your cell phone." Ms. Ketchum walked into Ash's room with one hand out and one on her hip. Ash didn't even resist. He went into his pocket, pulled out his phone and placed it into his mother's hand.

He didn't really have a use for it now anyways. He already knew he was grounded. The only friend he had left now was Gary and he could talk to Gary at school. He wasn't going to talk to Dawn anymore, so her number didn't matter. May, Drew, and obviously Kai were people he probably wouldn't speak to anymore and the rest of the contacts in his phone didn't matter.

With Ash's cell phone in her possession, without a word the brown-haired woman turned on her heel and proceeded to walk out of Ash's room. As she was about to exit her son's room, something caught her attention in his trash can. She peered into the small bin and immediately her hard expression lightened up.

In the trash can was a sterling silver picture frame that held a picture collage of Ash and Dawn. The glass had various cracks in it as if Ash smashed it with something. She wondered what the meaning to this was.

"Ash..." Her voice was soft and caring unlike how it was just a few minutes ago.

The raven-haired teen was startled just a bit. He was surprised at how sensitive her voice was sounding now and wondered why she was using that tone. "Yes?" he answered. His tone was muffled because his mouth was halfway covered by the pillow.

"Why is the picture of you and Dawn cracked and why is it in your _trashcan?" _

Ash didn't answer her.

Delia then walked over to her son's bed and sat down. "Is there something you're not telling me, honey?" The older woman's face now held a look of concern. The only reason why she could think of why Ash would throw away his and Dawn's picture is because... "Did you and Dawn break up?" She held her breath for this answer. She hoped her assumption was wrong.

Slowly, Ash sat up straight on his bed and moved to the edge so he was sitting beside his mom. "Yeah.." Ash mumbled and nodded his head. His head was down, allowing his uncontrolled hair to cover his eyes.

Delia watched as a tear left a narrow trail down his cheek. "Oh, Ashy." Ms. Ketchum wrapped her arms around her son. This sudden affection caused Ash to break. Tears begin to fall one by one down his face. Usually he wouldn't like this kind of attention from his mom because he thought he was too old for it, but now he didn't care. He needed the comfort and his mom was the only person he wanted it from.

Ms. Ketchum let Ash cry until he calmed down. She could feel his tears soaking her shirt, but she didn't mind. It was worth it for her son. After a couple of minutes, when she believed Ash was calmed down enough to talk, she broke away from him and moved a few strands of hair that stuck to his wet cheeks. "When did you two break up? Why didn't you tell me, honey?"

"W-we broke u-up today," Ash answered between sniffles.

That's when something clicked in Ms. Ketchum's head. She knew that there had to be a reason behind why Ash had gotten into a fight.

"What happened? Why'd you two break up?"

Ash looked down at his lap for a little while before he answered. When he was ready, he was going to explain to his mom _everything _that happened. From the time Kai first arrived up until the moment right now.

And that's what he did. He told her everything, not leaving out a single detail. By the time he had finished he was crying again and being comforted by this mother.

As she comforted her son, the woman was very surprised by Dawn's actions and by her son's actions after he told her about what happened between him and May at her house. She was just flabbergasted by the entire story. Delia waited until Ash was completely calmed down before she would talk to him. He was hurt. She let him cry as long as he needed to until he was all dried up of tears.

After about ten minutes, when Ash had stopped crying, she pulled away from him and looked in his eyes. "Honey, listen to me okay?" The only response she'd received from him was a hiccup from all the sobbing he did.

Ash stared back at his mother. He could feel the puffiness of his eyes. Right now all he wanted to do was sleep, but he knew his mother wouldn't allow that until she finished saying whatever she had to say to him.

"Ash I am very disappointed in Dawn and in you because when you were with May, you should have taken control of your actions and feelings. I understand that you'd just gotten caught up, but that doesn't mean you can't control yourself because in the end, you still did the same thing as Dawn: cheat. Though, she seemed to be worse from what you've told me. Despite being a little disappointed in you, I am proud of you because you hung around in your relationship knowing what Dawn was doing. That proved how much you loved and cared for her and how much you wanted to work out your relationship. And it takes a real _man _to do that. I'm more than positive that if it were anyone else, they would have given up. But you didn't and I applaud you on that, son. You have to fight for what you love and once you've won, in the end you'll realize that it was all worth it.

"Now I know Dawn was down on her level of dirty and you were too because of what you did, but I don't believe you two are done with each other just yet. It's just a matter of both you taking some time off and cooling down because you both are hurt and mad with each other right now. After you both get over this a bit, then you can work things out."

"Mom, you're only saying that because you don't understand how I feel. Like you said, you have to fight and that's what I did. I fought too hard, mom, and this happened. I'm done."

"I also said once you've won, you'll know it was worth it. You're not done fighting, Ash. You and Dawn have been together for two years. I've watched you two grow together as a couple. You two have become too close. There is no way you two will end like this, Ash. Two years worth of feelings don't just disappear because you tell yourself you don't want her back. Deep down somewhere you want her back. You're just upset with her. It's called _forgive_ and _forget,_ Ash."

"Mom, I just can't forgive _and _forget about what she put me through. If I just pretend it never happened, she'll probably think she can get away with flirting and liking other guys! I don't want that to happen, mom."

"Ash, don't forget that _you _kissed Dawn's best friend _and _your best friend's girlfriend. And from what you told me, I'm sure it would have went farther had you not come back to your senses."

"But, mom, that was one thing. She put me through sh-" Ash quickly caught himself and quickly reworded his sentence. He was getting angered with his mother which caused that word to almost slip out. "She put me through stuff, mom. It hurt!"

"Okay, I understand that, sweetie but you are not the only victim in this situation. She might have started all of this, but you did have some partake in it. Look, honey, I'm not forcing you to make up with Dawn because in the end it will be your decision. I just don't think you two will be apart for long because of how strong your connection is. Two years is a long time with someone Ash, whether you realize it or not. You're not going to just forget about her that quickly. The love you two shared is too strong for that. Let his blow over and give it time, Ash."

"It's not even worth it, mom, trust me."

"Ash-"

"I know what you're going to say. But I mean it's not worth it because I'll be leaving for college in Unova after school ends anyway. So, what's the point, mom? _Possibly_ get back together only to break up in a few weeks because I'm going to be in college? No, mom. I'm not going down that route with her. She's not worth the trouble anymore."

Ms. Ketchum sighed. There was no getting to him, though she understood what he meant. "Well, Ash, you don't want to leave off on a bad note. In the future you will think about her and you don't want to remember that the last time you two spent together was bad. So, just because you _supposedly_ don't want her back, doesn't mean you two can't at least be friends."

Ash didn't say anything, he just looked at her.

Delia sighed and decided to give Ash his cell phone back. "Ash, I'll take you off punishment because I realize the fight is not entirely your fault. Just...promise me you'll be friends with Drew again at least. He's your been your best friend ever since you were five. The least you could do is make up with him, honey. Okay?"

Delia kissed her son on the forehead and stood up from his bed. She was going to leave him to think and make his own decisions. She just hoped he'd make the _right _decision.

As she walked out of his room, she said, "Remember, Ash, you can always be friends."

**x-x-x**

Dawn sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window while her mother gave her a 'talk' with her voice way louder than it should have been. The older woman had fussed at her daughter ever since they'd gotten in the car. Now they were pulling into the driveway.

Dawn's arms were folded and tears were brimming in her eyes. She'd had enough. Dawn cut off whatever her mother was about to say next and yelled back at her mother, "Can you just stop it! You don't really know what happened today and you're only making me feel worse!" With that said, Dawn opened the car door and hopped out the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind her.

She opened the house door with the spare key she always took with her and rushed inside and ran into her room. The door slammed behind her as she hopped on her bed and began to cry.

She wasn't proud of what she did today, but her mother didn't have to throw it in her face. Also, with the break up between Ash and her in front of at least half of the school was stuck on her mind. But the worst part was Ash and her's break up.

Johanna watched as her daughter ran into the house. She was left a bit shocked from when Dawn yelled at her, though she thought she did come on a bit too strong so she deserved it. Now, she felt bad because she didn't mean to hurt her daughter's feelings.

Johanna finally took the keys out of the ignition, cutting the engine off, and hurried into the house. She made her way up the stairs and to her daughter's room door. "Dawn." The older blue-haired woman knocked on the door. Dawn didn't answer so the woman simply turned the door knob and walked in.

Dawn was lying on her bed, crying into one of her pillows. The sight broke Johanna's heart because she felt like this was all her fault. She moved over to Dawn's bed and sat down. "Dawn, sweetie-" She softened her tone and rubbed Dawn's ankle in hope to comfort her.

"Leave me alone," Dawn said between sobs. She did not want to speak to her mom.

"Dawn, I'm sorry for-"

"Mom, it's not your fault! Everything is _my _fault."

Johanna was confused by her daughter's statements. Then something rushed into her mind. What Dawn had said to her in the car, _You don't really know what happened today._

The blue-haired woman decided to press her daughter for information. "Honey...what's your fault? What happened today?"

Slowly Dawn sat up and scooted beside her mom. She wiped tears from her face and kept her head down as she spoke. "Ash and I broke up today, mom..." More tears ran from Dawn's eyes.

"Oh, honey." Johanna wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her close for comfort. Now the woman understood. She wondered if their break up had anything to do with Saturday when she was forced to go downstairs because she heard her daughter and Ash arguing just before Ash left, throwing a bouquet of roses on the floor. Johanna sighed and kissed Dawn on top of her head. She allowed Dawn to cry until she was ready to talk to her.

Johanna remembered how one of her bad break ups went and how her mother allowed her to cry for as long as she needed to in her arms. The feeling of having someone there for her helped a lot and she was going to do that for her daughter. Dawn needed her more than anything right now.

When Dawn was down to only sniffling, she pulled away from her mother. She was ready to talk to her. "Mom..." Dawn said. "Lately Ash and me haven't been on the best terms and..." Dawn looked down, ashamed and bit her lip. "It's all my fault."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure it's not all your fault. What happened between you two?"

Dawn took in a deep breath and exhaled before she begin to speak. She explained everything to her mom from the time she first ran into Kai at school all the way up until now. She told her mom how May and her hadn't been the best of friends lately. Not a single detail was forgotten. Just like Ash, by the time Dawn had finished explaining everything to her mom, she was crying in her mother arms again.

Johanna was disappointed in her daughter, but that didn't stop her from welcoming Dawn with open arms. She was going to say what she had to say about everything Dawn had just informed her of once Dawn had calmed down again.

When Dawn stopped crying and separated from her mother, Johanna took this as a sign that Dawn was ready for her to talk.

"Dawn," Johanna started with a sigh. "I am very disappointed in you. Sweetie, you should have known better. I see why you think all of this is your fault...it is." Johanna started to feel bad for saying this to her daughter, but she was only speaking the truth and it had to be said. Dawn knew it to so she let her mother continue to talk. "Dawn, I understand that you can't control your feelings for someone, but you _can_ control your actions. Flirting with Kai is unacceptable. Flirting with anyone while in a relationship is unacceptable, especially when you know you have feelings for that person. And to continue doing it when your friends, even your boyfriend tell you to stop...really Dawn, what were you thinking?

"You _never _put someone you like before someone you love. That's what Ash didn't like. Sweetie, it should not have taken you up until now when everything is messed up to realize the hurt you were causing people around you. Ash was really hurt and May was too which caused her to be a bit protective over Ash because that was her friend too and friends will be protective over their friends because they don't want them to get hurt. That's probably what pushed her to start liking Ash again and probably kiss him. Now, May was wrong because of how she started treating you and for kissing Ash. She should have came to you again and talked about it like a real friend should.

"But you should have took consideration of your actions when she first talked to you about it. Again that falls back on you, Dawn. The other thing is that you lead Kai on by always being around him and constantly flirting with him which brought him to like you. Now, he's thinking this is all his fault because of what took place between you and Ash. So, Kai is another person hurt in this situation. Honey, I'm not trying to scold you, but you just need to realize that you were not thinking. Now everything has been thrown back in your face."

"I know, mom. I know everything started because of me...I-I was just so caught up in my feelings and worrying about Kai. Kai and I would spend an entire class laughing, talking, and having fun and mom, when you're just having fun you don't worry about anyone else around you. That's how it was with Kai. But, I can't really say that's the reason why I did what I did...like you and everyone else said, I should have controlled my self. I-I just don't know what to do now, mom."

Johanna put her hand on her daughter's hand for comfort. "Dawn, the only thing I can tell you to do is talk things out. When things cool off between May and you and Ash and you, you need to talk to them. Even though you...attacked May, I'm sure she'll forgive you. You and May have gotten extremely close over the past couple of years. Best friends always remain best friends no matter what. Remember that, Dawn."

Dawn nodded her head and wiped her eyes. She'd love to be friends with May again, despite her kissing Ash. Dawn was willing to put the past behind her, but she wasn't so sure if May would oblige. Especially after the way May had treated her.

"Ash..." Johanna sighed. "Give some time for him to cool off before you talk with him and fix everything between you two-"

"Mom, I don't even think I want him back...the thought of him kissing May...Mom, what if-"

"Dawn, don't forget that you kissed Kai. Ash feels the same way you do, maybe even worse. I understand he kissed your best friend, but you have to realize that you kissed someone else that you liked while you were dating Ash. You two were in a relationship for two years. Really, you two just need some time apart to think and then I think you two will be ready to talk about things and hopefully be in a relationship again. The love you two have for each other will not be easy to get rid of. Not two years worth of feelings. So-"

"But mom," Dawn interrupted, "don't you think it'll be pointless trying to be with him again? I mean, we're moving back to Sinnoh in, like, three weeks. I might not even talk to him _for _three weeks."

"Well, I see where you're getting at but you don't want to leave remembering that the last time you two spoke was when you were yelling at each other, right?" Dawn shrugged her shoulders. "Dawn, Ash is clearly your first love - I'm not even counting Lucas anymore - and you always remember your first love. So leaving each other on bad terms is only going to make you remember your relationship with him as bad. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Dawn slowly nodded her head. "So...what are you trying to say?"

"What I'm saying is that just because you're going be moving in a few weeks doesn't mean you two can't at least be friends again."

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: And~ that's the end. For some reason, I really like how this chapter turned out. Not too much going on, but something. I really like writing heart-to-hearts. They're strangely fun xD. <strong>

**Um, I pretty much know how I want the next chapter to be so~ hopefully I can get the next chapter up in about two or three weeks. I'll be on Spring Break in two weeks, and I'll start the next chapter before then so hopefully I can get one or two chapters up on my Spring Break :). I guess we'll see, huh? **

**Also, there was tons of foreshadowing in this chapter. Did anyone catch it? ;]**

**Well anyways, please tell me what you guys think of this chapter! :D I like it, so I hope you guys do too.**

**See you guys soon! :]**

**- Angel _o/**


	21. Friends Again?

**Author's Notes: Hi! Long time, no see. It's been about three months. Blame life. I've been really busy with multiple things, that I didn't even have time to sit down and write like I could in the past. But no worries, because I'm on summer break so I'm somewhat free. I have more freetime than I did when I was in school, so that's a good thing! :)**

**Erm, thank you to everyone who took the time out to review last chapter! :] I really appreciate the reviews guys! You really have no idea, so keep them coming :D**

**Um~ I hope you guys enjoy this chapter that I was finally able to finish. I started it like three months ago and finished it in two days, so I'm happy about that. I haven't written anything in a long time, so hopefully my writing isn't too bad x.x I feel like it is, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter! :)**

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><p>"...they must be suspended from school." Leaf sighed and tapped her finger tips lightly and steady on the table. Gary sat beside her at the lunch table and Kai sat in front of them in his usual spot.<p>

The table seemed empty without Ash, Dawn, May, and Drew. It didn't feel right.

Kai nodded his head and said, "Yeah. May and Dawn are both in my classes and neither of them showed up for class today."

"Neither have Drew and Ash," Gary added. "I think they only received one day of out of school suspension, so they'll be back tomorrow. I guess gramps wasn't too hard on them. He _was_ really upset about the entire thing, though."

"I'm pretty sure we all are," Leaf said.

"It's my entire fault," Kai admitted in a low tone. He regretted moving to Kanto in the first place. If he hadn't then none of this mess wouldn't have happened.

"What's make you blame yourself?" Gary asked. He agreed internally with Kai that it was his fault, however Gary didn't believe it was entirely his fault. He only asked Kai that question because he wanted him to elaborate on what he said. He could easily tell that Leaf wanted him to explain as well because she had leaned forward on her elbows a little while giving him full attention.

"Well..." Kai trailed off his sentence and thought. "I'll just tell you two everything that happened between Dawn and me."

Kai explained to the couple everything. He explained how he felt about Dawn, all the flirting they did, and everything that Dawn had told him about what happened between her and Ash up to where they kissed where he experienced it first hand. When he finished both Leaf and Gary held expressions of shock on their faces. There was a bit of an awkward silence where Kai fiddled around uncomfortably until Gary decided to break the silence.

"Wow..." Gary swallowed and looked at Kai still surprised. "So that's why Ash had an attitude yesterday morning. He didn't tell me any of this..."

"And Dawn didn't tell me anything," Leaf said. She was shocked that Dawn hadn't called her Saturday or Sunday to tell her what happened with her and the two boys. Or at least with Ash. She usually called and told Leaf everything whenever she and Ash were experiencing problems. Then Leaf figured that Dawn was probably too upset to talk about it.

"Maybe it was too soon for either of them to talk," Kai guessed. "I don't know, but I really wish things didn't go that way between them."

"Look, man," Gary said, getting Kai's attention. "Don't beat yourself up and blame this all on you. That sure isn't going to make anything better. Some stuff you should not have done, yeah, but it isn't your entire fault so don't put yourself down, Kai."

"Yeah," Leaf chimed in. "Gary's right. You should have set your limits, but it's definitely not your entire fault."

Kai shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. "I guess."

The three were quiet for the rest of the lunch period. When the bell rung signaling for everyone to move to their last class of the day, Gary and Leaf parted from Kai and started heading for the front entrance of the school.

"Are you sure that your grandpa said it's okay for us to leave school early?" Leaf asked as she walked down the hallway with her boyfriend. She looked around with unsure eyes as if they were going to get in trouble. She wasn't used to leaving school early like this.

Gary nodded his head. "Yeah, he told our teacher to mark us as present. So don't worry. The most important thing is that I was lucky enough to convince him that you and I needed this time so we could plan out how to get everyone friends again. He didn't believe me at first. He thought we were going back to your house to-"

"Yeah, I don't need you to explain it," Leaf said interrupting Gary. "It's good he trusts you. We _really _do need this time to plan. I have no idea what to do right now, but I _do _have an idea on how we can get them to meet up."

"Good," Gary said, holding the door open for her. "Keep that in mind and think as we make your way to your house."

Leaf smiled and playfully rolled her eyes. She was hoping that what she had in mind would work. She wasn't missing school for nothing after all.

**x-x-x**

"Hello?" Leaf whispered into her cell phone as she closed the door to the bathroom behind her and locked it. "Can you hear me now?" she raised her voice enough for the person on the other line to hear but low enough so no one could overhear her talking. "May just got to my house," she said. Leaf was currently on the phone with her boyfriend so they could discuss the plan.

After spending some time together, thinking, laughing, playing, and making out Leaf and Gary thought of a way to get Dawn and May and Ash and Drew to be friends. Leaf had to invite both girls over to her house and Gary had to invite the boys over and they would apologize and hopefully be friends again. It was simple, but they wasn't sure if it would work.

_"Drew just got to my house," _Gary stated. _"Ash is on his way, so he should be here within fifteen minutes."_

"Okay, great! Dawn said she'd be here in ten minutes. I was thinking of talking to May for a bit on the situation until Dawn got here," Leaf explained easily. "You know, to fully get her side of the entire thing."

_"I was thinking about doing the same thing," _Gary admitted casually. _"I was going to talk to Drew until Ash gets here. I never got to talk with Drew - Ash either - but the poor guy must be feeling some type of sadness, though he isn't showing it..." _

"I hope this all works out," Leaf said as she stared at herself in the mirror, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "We're skipping school to _hopefully _get them all to be friends again." Her chest rose slightly and fell with a sigh.

_"Hopefully." _The way he'd said 'hopefully' Leaf could tell that he said it with a sigh. _"I wond-" _Gary cut himself short when he heard a faint, familiar voice in the background.

_"Leaf!" _May's voice sounded through the house and traveled to the bathroom Leaf was currently in.

"Gary, I have to go, May is calling me...good luck with the boys, I'll call you tonight to tell you how everything went. Love you, bye!" The brunette hung up the phone and quickly opened the door to see May standing in front of the bathroom with a confused look on her face. "What?" Leaf asked. She tried to look cool, but she was more than sure that she looked more flustered than anything. She hoped May hadn't heard her.

"Who were you talking to?" May asked, cocking her head to the side to get a view inside the bathroom to see if anyone else was in the bathroom with her best friend, which would have been a bit weird if there was.

"Huh?" Leaf tried to pretend like she didn't know what May was talking about. "You were hearing stuff." Leaf waved her hand in the air in dismissal before she turned the bathroom light off. "I definitely was _not _talking to anyone.." With that, May smirked while she raised an eyebrow and moved out of Leaf's path so she could leave the bathroom.

May had a small feeling that her friend was lying. Not only because she was acting suspicious, but also because she held her cellphone in her hand. Though, she figured it wasn't a big deal, so she brushed it off as something light and nothing important.

May followed Leaf into the living room where she was before she went looking for Leaf. They both sat down on the couch and Leaf turned to face May with one of her legs on the couch - like the Indian style of sitting, except with one leg - while the other leg dangled helplessly off the couch cushion.

"So," Leaf said. "Tell me, everything that happened between you and Ash and you and Dawn." Leaf decided to get straight to the point.

"Is this why you called me over here, Leaf?" May asked half playfully. She didn't mind informing Leaf of anything, but she felt a bit of a sting because she thought that Leaf only invited her over to squeeze information out of her for whatever reason. "I thought we were going to hang out and talk about...other things."

"We are hanging out and this _is _girl talk," Leaf retaliated. "I just want to know how _you _felt about this since I didn't talk to you that day in the office. I was really too upset to to talk to you."

May moved her shoulders up and down, in a slight shrug. "Yeah...Sorry. Well, I'll just tell you everything I guess."

Leaf listened closely as May told her everything. May had told Leaf how the bit of feelings she held for Ash and the anger she held for Dawn, which had caused her to act in such ways towards the bluenette. Also, May told Leaf how Ash showed up at her house on Saturday after the heated argument with Dawn and how they kissed, and also how she'd been pushing Drew away because of what she felt for Ash, which now she regretted because she missed Drew terribly.

"Aw, May," Leaf said, rubbing her best friend's hand in comfort, seeing that she was on the verge of bursting into tears.

May closed her eyes and opened them to clear her eyesight. "Leaf, I _do _feel bad about everything. About being so mean to Dawn, about liking Ash and kissing him, pushing Drew away, and fighting Dawn..." May chewed gently on her bottom lip, just wishing that she could go back in time and change her decisions. She wished that she would have approached Dawn like a true friend instead of giving her the cold shoulder.

"How bad _do_ you feel?" Leaf asked, trying to dig deeper into May's thoughts.

"What do you mean?" May bored her eyes into Leaf's, trying to interpret her question. It may have been a simple question, but she knew it met something.

"Like bad enough...to talk it out with someone?"

May adverted her gaze around the room in thought. She actually did feel _that _bad. Honestly, she would do anything to put the past behind her and get her boyfriend back and Dawn back as her best friend and Ash as just an old friend like before, before things got weird. She'd like a new start. May brought her brown orbs back to Leaf's and nodded her head without saying a word.

This brought a smile to Leaf's lips.

And as if on cue, the doorbell rang, much to May's surprise because she jumped a bit from the sound. She wondered who it was as Lead moved to the door. Leaf looked at May and put her hand on the doorknob and said, "Well, May, now is your chance."

Leaf smiled thoughtfully and opened the door to reveal Dawn, who's eyes widened when she peered into Leaf's house and saw May sitting on the couch.

May was equally surprised. Though she was actually happy that Leaf had set this up - she figured it out easily when she added two and two together - her heart was beating in nervousness.

**x-x-x**

"Make yourself at home, dude," Gary said to Drew who had just plopped down on his couch and began to instantly surf through channels which made Gary roll his eyes. As part of the plan, Drew had just arrived to Gary's house and now he just had to wait for Ash to arrive. Gary jogged lightly up the stairs and went into his room, closing the door behind him so he was out of earshot when he talked to Leaf.

Gary moved to his bed and sat down on it, before dialing his girlfriend's number. It rung two times before he heard a faint _"Hello?" _on the other end. She was obviously whispering into the phone.

"Why are you whispering?" Gary asked. "I can barely hear you."

He heard a small amount of shuffling before Leaf's voice came back, louder this time so he could hear her more clearly. _"Can you hear me now? May just got to my house."_

That explained it for Gary. She must have been in the same boat with May as he was with Drew. She didn't want to be overheard.

"Drew just got to my house," Gary said. " Ash is on his way, so he should be here within fifteen minutes."

_"Okay, great! Dawn said she'd be here in ten minutes. I was thinking of talking to May for a bit on the situation until Dawn got here," _Leaf explained easily._ "You know, to fully get her side of the entire thing."_

"I was thinking about doing the same thing," Gary admitted casually. "I was going to talk to him until Ash gets here. I never got to talk with Drew - Ash either - but the poor guy must be feeling some type of sadness, though he isn't showing it..."

_"I hope this all works out,"_ Leaf said airily. _"We're skipping school to _hopefully _get them all to be friends again." _He heard her let out a sigh when she finished talking.

"Hopefully," Gary said, releasing a sigh at the same time. He also ran his hands through his fluffy, brown hair and threw himself back on his bed. "I wond-" Gary cut himself short when he heard a faint, familiar voice in the background.

_"Leaf!" _He heard May's voice in the background. Soon after, Leaf was talking fast into her cellphone.

_"Gary, I have to go, May is calling me...good luck with the boys, I'll call you tonight to tell you how everything went. Love you, bye!"_

Before Gary could even mutter a word, Leaf had hung up. He hoped, himself, that May hadn't heard Leaf talking.

Gary spent a few minutes on his bed, staring up at the ceiling before he decided to get up and head downstairs where he would talk to Drew until Ash got to his house. Once he got downstairs, he saw Drew lying down on the couch watching the news channel, only half-way paying attention.

"Get up," Gary demanded to his best friend. Drew, surprisingly, listened and sat up so Gary could sit on the other end of the couch.

"I was comfortable, you know," Drew said, glaring at the brunette boy.

"Oh, well," Gary said nonchalantly. "We have something to talk about." This spiked the green haired boy's interest and caused him to raise his eyebrow, waiting for Gary to continue talking. "So...I was wondering how you feel about everything." Gary said. "I mean...about Ash. And May."

Drew fidgeted on the couch as if what Gary was saying made him uncomfortable. He began to think. Ever since yesterday, he hadn't really thought about May or Ash or anything about the previous day. He didn't want to. He really wanted to forget about it and move on. But now that Gary had brought it up, he had to talk about it now. He actually suspected this to come sooner or later. It just came sooner than he expected.

"Is this why you called me here?" Drew asked suspiciously, avoiding Gary's question.

"Maybe. Look, I'm just worried about you, okay? You're like my brother, of course I'm going to ask you about this."

Drew smiled a bit and shrugged his shoulders. Gary was right. This was like a brotherly thing to do and he was happy that Gary was worried. He always liked this side of Gary. "Well," -suddenly Drew's cheery, carefree voice changed into one of sadness as he spoke- "I'm hurt _and_ upset, Gary. I never thought Ash would do something like that in a million years. I mean, we were best friends - I'd known him forever. And for him to say that he'd kissed May just sparked something inside of me and pissed me off so much that I had to get him. I _do _feel bad about it now, but...I just thought I could trust him. And May...I knew something was up, because she'd been brushing me off for a while. I just didn't expect her to cheat on me and kiss Ash. That hurt me a lot..." Drew's green eyes sparkled with tears brimming in them as he spoke.

"I love her a lot, Gary and to know that she cheated on me, killed me. Especially with Ash." Drew stopped talking and wiped his eyes, clearing the tears away.

Gary felt bad for his friend. "So...would you ever consider being friends with Ash again?"

Drew thought for a bit before he spoke. "I...I would," Drew answered truthfully. "I mean, Ash has been my best friend forever, it's hard to let an old pal go that quickly...I'm just not sure if I'd actually be able to trust him fully again."

Just before Gary could respond, the doorbell rung, startling the two boys. Gary knew exactly who it was. He stood up from the couch, without saying anything and moved to the door. Gary put his hand on the doorknob and before he opened the door, he looked back at Drew and said, "Drew, if you want to make up with Ash, then now's your chance."

The brunette opened the door to reveal Ash casually standing at the door. It took him a few seconds to see Drew sitting on the couch. This caused him to eye Gary skeptically, while Drew simply held a look of surprise.

**x-x-x**

"Well, are you going to come in Dawn, or just stand there?" Leaf said in a joking tone. Dawn looked at Leaf, slitting her eyes slightly before she walked into Leaf's house.

Dawn didn't know what to say. She finally figured that Leaf must have set this up. Dawn stood a couple of feet away from the door, not making any sudden moves to the couch near May.

May sat uncomfortably on the couch as she shifted. She focused her eyes on Leaf and tried not to make eye contact with Dawn.

"Sit, Dawn," Leaf said as she walked over to the couch and sat beside May. Dawn quietly and skeptically walked over to the couch and sat down beside Leaf who sat between the two girls. There was an uncomfortable silence between the three, and Leaf could feel the growing tension, so she spoke. "First off, yes, I did plan this _obviously._ And you two _should _know why." Leaf looked at both girls evenly. They didn't say anything. They only avoided each other's eyes. "You two have to talk," Leaf sighed. "Neither of you are leaving here until this is worked all worked out." Leaf folded her arms across her chest in a child-like stubborn manner and looked back and fourth between the girls.

"Fine," Leaf said finally after waiting a minute for one of the girls to speak. "Since you two won't talk, I'll just choose one too, and you _better _start talking." The word 'better' dripped off Leaf's tongue like venom. This scared the two girls a little. It let them know that Leaf was serious about this. "May, you go first."

May breathed in then out and looked at Leaf who stared back at her with an annoyed expression. May then adverted her brown eyes to Dawn's when she began to speak, "Dawn, I really am sorry." Her eyes started to well up with tears. "I'm sorry for kissing Ash, fighting you...for being a bad friend overall. I should have came to you...we could have avoided all of this mess. This was all my fault."

Leaf smiled to herself. So far, this was going good. She then looked at Dawn, waiting for her to respond.

Dawn looked at May for a moment, trying to find her words. This was all so sudden to her. She really wasn't prepared to come to Leaf's house for a make-up session, but she admitted to herself that she was glad this was happening. "May," she said softly, "don't blame yourself, really. We all know this was my fault. I've said this so many times already, but I should not have been all over Kai the way I was. The time you talked to me about it, is when I should have listened and backed off then. So, really I'm the person to blame in this situation. I want to be friends again, May. Like before." Dawn wiped her eyes with her hand.

May smiled and said, "friends again?"

"Best." Dawn smiled and reached over Leaf to give May a big hug.

Usually Leaf would have been annoyed if they reached over her like that, but this was a good moment, and she couldn't scold them right now. She was happy.

The two girls had a tear or two trailing down their face as they pulled back. "And sorry for attacking you," Dawn said giggling and wiping her face.

"You were mad, it's understandable." May laughed a bit and wiped her face as well.

"It feels good to have to two back," Leaf said, as she looked back and fourth between them. Then she saw the look on Dawn's face. She suddenly didn't look too happy anymore. Her face held a look of sadness. "What's wrong, Dawn?"

Dawn sighed. "I want _everything _to be normal again...I want Ash and Drew to be friends again. And I want Ash to be friends with Kai...and I want Ash back." A tear trailed slowly down Dawn's cheek. "I don't think he's going to take me back."

"And I want Drew back," May said. "I regret pushing him away...I don't think he'll take me back now either."

Leaf sighed to herself. "Look, guys," Leaf said, getting May and Dawn's attention. "Ash and Drew are at Gary's house now, making up. If that works, then we'll make a plan to get everyone back on one accord again. I promise, this will all get worked out, okay?" Leaf smiled at the two girls and brought them in for a nice group hug. "For now, let's be happy that we all have each other again."

**x-x-x**

"Are you going to just stand there and look stupid, or come in already?" Gary said as he tapped his foot lightly on the floor, showing impatience. Ash didn't say anything, he simply walked through the door and sat on the same couch Drew was sitting on. If Gary had another couch in his living room, then Ash would have sat there instead. He made sure he kept a nice distance between him and Drew.

Gary shut the door behind Ash and walked to the living room area and stood in front of the couch with his arms crossed in a professional and serious manner. The brunette-haired boy then began to pace a small distance in front of the boys, eyeing them both carefully as he spoke. "I brought both of you here on purpose," Gary said. "To make up, obviously. You two were like brothers, you've known each other ever since you were kids. And I think it's best if you two made up right here, right now." He stopped pacing and stood in between the boys, looking down at them with his arms crossed. He waited for one of them to speak. He was growing impatient, so he said, "Drew, you told me you wanted to work things out between you and Ash, so start talking."

Drew felt a lump in his throat as he searched for the correct words to say. He looked blankly at Ash who looked just as nervous as Drew felt. "Ash," Drew started, "look man, I'm sorry for fighting you. I was mad, I mean, you told me that you kissed May. I couldn't just sit there and let you get away with it. I regret my actions now, trust me, but...I just want to know _why _you kissed her. I don't understand, I thought I could trust you, Ash."

Ash took a minute to think before he spoke. He could feel Gary's eyes burning a hole through him. "I really didn't mean to kiss her, Drew...you see, Dawn and me got into an argument that day...I ran out of Dawn's house crying and I drove to May's house. I told her everything that happened between Dawn and I. She comforted me and...told me that she had feelings for me. I told her I still liked her too, from middle school. Honestly, I don't know why I said that. Maybe I was just caught up in the moment, I don't know, but I really don't like her in _that _way. I stopped liking her when we got to high school. Well, anyways, after that, we kissed. It felt so wrong, yet right at the same time. Finally, I pulled away and left. I should not have even went over to her house in the first place, whatever. But, Drew, I'm sorry man. You had every right to punch me in the face." Ash laughed sheepishly.

Drew smirked. "Cool again?" he asked with a small smile on his face. Ash nodded his head happily. "Bro hug?" Drew stood up with his arms open and Ash followed his lead and came in for a hug.

Gary stood back, pretending to wipe away tears from his eyes. "Such a beautiful thing," he said as if he were crying.

Drew and Ash pulled away from each other, both feeling good that they made up and were friends again.

"So," Drew started as he sat back down on the couch. "What happened between you and Dawn that day? I'm curious."

"Yeah, me too," Gary said. Even though he'd heard the story from Kai, he'd like to hear it from Ash who actually experienced the situation. He situated himself on the armrest of the couch and looked at Ash.

Ash took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, preparing himself to tell them the story. "Well..."

When Ash finished explaining the story, he was close to being in tears again while Drew and Gary were shocked at how everything went down. They all remained quiet for a minute until Drew broke the silence.

"That's..._crazy_," Drew stated. He didn't know what else to really say. At least now he knew the entire story and how he ended up kissing May.

"Wow..." Gary muttered. "So, Ash, I have a question for you." The black-haired boy lifted up his head to look at Gary, giving him his attention. "Would you...ever take Dawn back?"

Ash thought hard about Gary's question. He did still love Dawn, but he wasn't sure if she was even worth it to be with again. What if she pulled the same stuff that she did again? Ash didn't want to go through that again. "To be honest, Gary...I don't think I would. I'll always love her, though. Maybe we could just be friends. Nothing more."

Drew nodded his head slowly. He understood where Ash was coming from. If May had put him through as much as Dawn put him through, he wasn't sure that he'd take her back himself.

"Understandable," Gary said. "Drew, would you take May back?"

"I actually would," Drew said honestly. "I want to talk to her and get everything right again."

**x-x-x**

"I just want to forget about that day entirely and get Ash back," Dawn said to May and Leaf. She had just finished telling them what happened between her and Ash on their anniversary. "But, I'm sure he won't take me back after what I did." Dawn sighed.

Leaf rubbed Dawn's back in comfort. "Well, Dawn, you don't know that yet."

"It doesn't really matter anyway," Dawn said. "I'm moving soon anyway, so...what's the point in trying?"

"You two can still be friends," May added.

"Yeah," Leaf said. "That's better than nothing."

Dawn simply sighed. She really wanted to be with Ash again more than anything, but her chances with him were looking very slim.

"I bet-" The ringing of Leaf's cellphone cut May from talking.

Leaf looked at the caller ID and saw Gary's picture on the screen. She _had _to take this call. "I'll be right back guys." Leaf got up from the couch and quickly went up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her. She tapped her phone screen to answer. "Gary! How did it go?" she asked anxiously.

"They're cool again," Gary answered. "It went better than I thought it would go. What about May and Dawn?"

"They're friends again, too. This is great!" Leaf exclaimed. "So, the next thing we have to do is get them back together. Well...do they even want them back?" Leaf asked, lowering her voice.

Gary took a minute to answer. "Drew said he'd take May back. Ash said he probably wouldn't. He said he'd just be friends with her."

Leaf stayed silent. She thought about Dawn and how she said she wanted to be with Ash again. She felt bad for her friend. "Poor Dawn. She wants Ash back."

"Isn't she moving in a few weeks anyways?" Gary asked. "They'd just have to break up again anyway, which would be worse. We can just get them to be friends again."

"Yeah..." Leaf trailed. "And May told us that she wants to be with Drew again and since Drew wants to get back together with her, that'll be easy to get them to make up!"

"Exactly. So, how are we even going to set this up?"

"We'll all meet at your house!"

"When? It's pretty late now..."

"Right," Leaf remembered as she peeked outside her window and saw the sky was getting dark. "Alright, tomorrow at lunch we can just get the to make up. Since they want each other back, it shouldn't take long."

"Okay, that sounds good," Gary said. "What about Ash and Dawn? Getting them to be friends...even though Ash wants to be friends with her, I feel like they're going to be pretty hard to get to communicate."

"I'll think of something," Leaf said, looking in her mirror. "Trust me, they'll be friends before Dawn moves. I can't let my girl down. Plus, my plans work."

Gary laughed. _"This _plan worked...don't get your hopes up too much just yet, princess."

The brunette smiled and blushed at Gary calling her 'princess.' "And my future plans will work too, just _wait._"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: I don't really like the ending too much, but eh. It was the best I could do for right now xD. Well things are starting to look good, huh? :D Let's just see what happens! ;)<strong>

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was pretty fun to write. Finally having them make up is such a joy to write after having to write sad and crazy stuff. Finally things can get happy again :D...maybe. You guys will just have to wait and see. ;P**

**Until next time (hopefully not too long though)**

**Please review! :]**

**- Angel _o/**


	22. One Down, One to Go

**Author's Notes: Hey y'all! I bet you didn't expect me back, huh? :p I honestly didn't expect myself to be, sooo...Anyway, I got some inspiration back for this story, which led to a new chapter, finally! :) I hate to leave this story unfinished because I know a lot of people love this story. I don't know what the future for this story holds (in terms of it being completed) but I promise I will try to finish it all one day. Even if I only update once a year. It will be finished eventually. It's actually almost done...just a few more chapters. **

**I'm going to apoligize in advance: sorry if this chapter seems a bit all over the place, I totally feel like it does. I kind of forgot what was going on and little details that are important, but hopefully I didn't do too bad. Plus, it's been forever since I've written anything besides a one-shot I uploaded a few months ago, so sorry if my writing sucks :/ **

**Hope you guys enjoy! :***

* * *

><p><em>We're leaving school now, on the way to your house. -Leaf<em>

Leaf tapped the touchscreen keys on her phone as she walked out of the school building with a worried May.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to ditch school in the middle of the day?" May asked as she walked alongside her best friend, with nervous steps. Leaf rolled her eyes and continued to text away on her phone.

_Great. Me and Drew just got back to my house. You think this will work? -Gary_

_Duh! They both want each other back, why wouldn't it work? Once we get Drew and May back together, we can all sit and think of a way to get Dawn and Ash to be friends again...at least. -Leaf_

_One step at a time girl. Let's just concentrate on Drew and May first. -Gary_

_Right...but they're basically back together already. Anyway, see ya in 5 minutes. -Leaf_

Leaf threw her phone in her purse and pulled out her car keys, unlocking the door and hopped into the drivers seat while May situated herself in the passenger's seat. Leaf started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "Are you okay?" Leaf asked May. May looked as if she was about to puke. "Are you _that _worried? It's not like you haven't skipped school before, May."

"I haven't skipped school on the day I have a Chemistry test," May said, slightly annoyed. "What's so important at Gary's house, anyway? We couldn't wait until after school to go there?"

"No," Leaf replied with a smirk on her face. _Well, we could have. But I like to get things done fast, _she thought to herself. "I promise, when we get to Gary's house, you'll forget about school."_  
><em>

Leaf pulled into Gary's driveway and turned the car off. She heard an unpleasant sigh coming from May followed by her saying "I'd rather be at school," before she got out of the car and followed Leaf up to Gary's front door.

Without knocking, Leaf turned the door knob and walked into her boyfriend's house with May following closely behind. "Don't you think you should have knocked first?" May asked.

"I'm asking the same thing," Gary said standing up from the couch and walking over towards the two girls.

Leaf smiled at her boyfriend and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Hello to you too, sweetie." As she watched May sulk over to the couch and sit, she whispered in Gary's ear, "Where's Drew?"

"Bathroom," he answered loud enough so only Leaf could here. Just as he said this, the bathroom door opened and out came a smiling Drew who looked liked he'd just won a million dollars. "Dude, I hope you sprayed in there."

"I di-" Drew cut himself short when he saw May sitting on the couch, looking just as surprised as he was to see her. "W-what...are you doing here?" As he asked this question he glanced at Gary. He wasn't upset that she was there, he was actually pretty excited and nervous to be facing her so soon.

May turned and looked at the couple, "And what is _he _doing here?" May, too, was excited that Drew was here, but she wanted to play it off like she wasn't.

"Look, you both can cut the act. You two want each other back," Leaf said, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "We," she waved a finger between her and Gary, "set this up so you two could talk things out and get back where you need to be. You two may still be hurt by everything that's happened, but May told me she wants you back, Drew."

"And Drew told me he wants you back, May."

"There's a guest room down the hall, I want both of you to go in there and make up, okay?" Leaf's eyes burned through the couple like fire and her words came out like ice.

Drew and May stared at her then at each other, and stood up at the same time to walk to the guest room.

Leaf smirked as she watched them disappear down the hall. "Was I too hard on them?" Leaf asked playfully.

Gary chuckled and ran a finger through her hair. "Maybe...I don't think they needed you to be that tough. You could have saved that for Ash and Dawn because we both know they'll be more stubborn and harder to get through to." Gary wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and brought her closer to him.

"Maybe you're right," Leaf said as she allowed herself to be drawn closer to her boyfriend. "Now to just wait until they come out as a couple again...wanna listen to them?" The brunette girl looked up at her boyfriend with a devious smile on her face only for it to be kissed away by him.

"They need their privacy," he whispered as he walked them over to the couch. "Just like we need ours."

Leaf smirked. "Gary~" she dragged out his name in a whisper as he started attacking her neck with kisses. She felt her back hit the soft cushions of the couch. She slightly gave him a shove. "This is about getting May and Drew back together, remember?"

Gary stopped his assault for a moment before he let his hand drift down. _"They're basically back together, _remember?" he used her words against her and smirked as she allowed herself to melt against his touch.

**x-x-x**

Drew and May entered the small guest room and closed the door behind them. May settled herself nervously on the full-sized bed and looked around. The room was nothing spectacular. The room only occupied a bed, a random chair and a wooden dresser with a small flat-screen TV hanging on the wall above it.

While May sat on the bed, Drew took it upon himself to move the chair by the bed so that he was sitting face-to-face with May.

The two sat in silence for a couple of minutes before anyone finally had the courage to speak.

"Why'd you do it, May?" Drew finally asked. He looked at her with shiny green eyes, trying to fight back tears that were burning the back of his eyes.

The expression on his face broke May's heart because she had never seen him like this before. She always saw him as a bright, self-centered, happy person. One who was also confident with everything he said and did. She wasn't used to seeing him hurt like this. It was new to her.

"I...I don't know...I was so caught up in what Dawn was doing with Kai and how Ash was feeling...I lost control of myself that day he had come over after him and Dawn had gotten into an argument." May wiped a few tears that trailed down her face. "But...that honestly isn't even a real reason for me to have kissed Ash. Drew, I don't like him. I_ did _in middle school. And I _thought _I did when we kissed...I wanted Dawn to feel bad for what she was doing...that Ash could have found someone that would treat him better..." the brunette-haired girl trailed off her sentence and looked at Drew who looked like he was mixed between being pissed and hurt.

"May, did you _ever_ think of just minding your business? Whatever Dawn was doing with Kai had _nothing _to do with you. You shouldn't have gave Dawn the cold shoulder and kissed Ash, _my _best friend. You have no idea how much that hurt me when Ash said you two kissed. I felt stupid and embarrassed." He looked at May with hard green eyes and she stared back at him with watery blue eyes.

"Drew, I'm so sorry," May said as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to hurt you, or anyone else. You're right, I shouldn't have gotten involved. I...I don't know." She rubbed her arms nervously while she bit down on her bottom lip.

Drew softened his glare at May and put a finger under her chin, forcing her look at him. "I still love you, May...I'm _still _mad at you and hurt, but I _do _still love you and I'm willing to move on with you." He gave her a small smile that brightened her expression just a little. "Just promise me that you'll never kiss my best friend again?" He chuckled as he said this and May nodded her head.

"I promise, Drew. As long as we're together, I won't kiss anyone. You're the only person I want...that I'll ever want."

They both smiled at each other and Drew playfully tackled May on the bed. He stared at her lovely face for a few seconds, taking in her beautiful features before he finally kissed her.

**x-x-x**

"Gary..." Leaf moaned softly. "Wait, stop." Leaf sat up, which earned a groan from her boyfriend. "Do you hear that?"

"I don't hear anything," Gary said as he attempted to push Leaf back down on the couch, eager to finish what he was doing.

"Sh, listen..." She stopped her boyfriend once again and listened to the faint sounds coming from down the hallway.

Gary rolled his eyes in annoyance and listened carefully. Once he heard what his girlfriend was hearing, his eyes widened. "That was fast. I say we should go break them up now."

"Oh, _now _you want to interfere. What happened to them needing privacy?" Leaf teased with a smirk on her face, trying to hold back her giggles.

"They can have privacy...just not _that _type of privacy in my house." With that being said, Gary slipped off the couch, threw his shirt back on and headed down the hallway.

Leaf giggled at her boyfriend and followed behind him after she put her shorts back on.

Gary knocked on the door loud and hard.

"What?" Drew called from behind the door, obviously annoyed. "We're busy!"

"Obviously," Gary called. "We have stuff to discuss, come out."

"Gary, leave them alone," Leaf scolded her boyfriend as she crossed her arms.

"Didn't you say the sooner we start, the better? We need to find a way to get Ash and Dawn talking." Leaf rolled her eyes. She had to agree that Gary had a point. Gary knocked on the door again.

"Five more minutes," Drew yelled.

"Fine...five minutes starts now." Drew didn't answer. Gary could tell that he went back to doing what he was doing because he heard May. "That's gross..."

"It's life," Leaf said, pulling her boyfriend away from the room door and back into the living room.

Ten minutes passed and Drew and May had finally emerged from the guest bedroom. Drew now had that obnoxious smile that usually adorned his face and May's face was bright red and she walked as if she was shy.

"That was more that five minutes, man," Gary said when he saw the couple walk into the living room.

"Gary, let it go," Leaf said, playfully hitting her boyfriend. Drew and May sat on another couch together. "Okay, we need to think of a way to get Ash and Dawn to communicate."

"I think we need to convince Ash if anything," Drew said.

"He has a point," May added. "I think Dawn would be willing to talk to Ash. Well, she is. I know it."

"Why don't we just set them up like we did these two?" Gary asked, referring to May and Drew.

"Did Dawn go to school today, May?" Leaf asked, ignoring her boyfriend for the time being.

"No, why?"

"Never mind then.. I was thinking since we all left school, Ash, Dawn, and Kai would be the only ones at lunch...maybe they would have talked then."

"Na, not with Kai there at least," Drew stated in an obvious tone. "He probably would have sat somewhere else. He didn't go to school today either though, so that's ruled out."

"It was ruled out when I said Dawn didn't go to school," May said with an eye roll. "So what about having them meet somewhere with all of us? Like you two did Drew and I."

Leaf looked into space for a moment as if she was deep in thought. She was in fact. It was easy for May and Drew to get back together because they both wanted it. However, it wasn't the same with Dawn and Ash. She felt like she needed a more complex plan to get those two to at least talk. She couldn't think of one at the moment so she gave up. "Yeah, it'll have to do. Where should all meet? And what's the excuse?"

"The mall?" Gary threw in.

"How about my house?" May asked. "Ya know... throw them in the guest room like you did to us," she waved a finger between her and Drew, "they may even have a second make up session."

Drew shook his head. "Knowing Ash, he won't go into a room with her. Not this soon, anyway. The dude is hurt. What he needs is a long conversation with her _just_ to be friends."

"So the mall?" Leaf asked in confirmation. "I think it's perfect because they'll be able to get time alone, like they could go off on their own around the mall and talk or sit at a table in a food court and it gives us a reason to drag them out. I'll tell Dawn we're having a girls day and you guys...just go to the mall."

"I'm down," Drew said. "When is this plan going to happen? And where are we going to meet?"

"Tomorrow," Leaf said.

"Let's meet in the food court. We'll get there first and sit in the food court and then you guys come and 'see us'. To make it look like this wasn't planned." May implied air quotation marks around 'see us' for effect.

"Why can't we just tell them the real reason why we're there? This seems too complicated." Drew said, rolling his green eyes.

"Because they won't come," Leaf answered quickly. "May, I like your thinking. So tomorrow?" She looked at everyone with determination in her eyes while they all nodded their heads in approval. "Good, hopefully this works. If it doesn't, I have another plan...but it'll take _a lot._"

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: Short chapter, but it definitely holds a bit of weight. Like I said, sorry if this chapter seemed all over the place or rushed. I hope to have the next chapter out within a few weeks if my motivation continues.<strong>

**If any of you know any good pearlshipping stories that I could read, please tell me about them. Reading a good pearlshipping fanfic will DEFINITELY help me get my mojo back. That's how I got it back to write this chapter.**

**Reviews will be appreciated :) Hope to see you guys soon! And thanks to whoever is still sticking with this story! :D Love you all!**

**- Angel _o/**


	23. Just Friends

**Author's Notes: This update didn't take long, which is great! :) Feels good to be writing again.**

**I would like to thank everyone who took the time to review the last chapter and also for still being here supporting this story even after I went on a long Hiatus! I really appreciate that!  
><strong>

**I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter! :)**

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><p>"This was nice," the bluenette said as she pulled out a chair and sat down, exhausted from the shopping she's done with her friends. She sat her three shopping bags on the floor next to her.<p>

"This was pretty fun," May agreed, sitting across from Dawn. She had two shopping bags of her own.

Leaf had yet to make it over to her friends, because she had something to take care of first. She pulled out her cellphone and dialed Gary's number.

After a few rings, she heard his voice. "We_ just got here a few minutes ago," _Gary said instantly on the other line.

Leaf heard his car beep in the background, signaling it was locked. "Okay, good. We just finished shopping," - as she said this, she looked down at the three bags she was carrying - "so you made good timing. How's Ash? Does he seem...sad?" Leaf asked curiously. She felt like his mood would determine his and Dawn's fate as potential friends.

If he was still upset, it probably wouldn't work but if he was happy, there might be some hope.

Gary's voice was now low as he spoke into the phone. "_He seems okay. We haven't talked about the situation really. Drew only informed him that he had gotten back together with May."_

"That's it?" the brunette asked to clarify.

_"Yeah. Is Dawn alright?" _

Leaf glanced over at Dawn who was having a conversation with May in the food court. "She was fine when I picked her up. I'm sure she's even happier now that we've been shopping. We haven't talked about the situation at all."

_"Do you think this is going to work?" _Gary's voice sounded concerned.

"I hope...We'll see in a few minutes, I guess." Leaf was now questioning her little plan. She was so sure about it before, but now that time time has come, she began to feel doubtful.

She heard Gary sigh through the phone. _"We'll see you guys in a few minutes."_

"Okay, _please_ act as casual as you can. Make it seem like this wasn't set up." With that said, Leaf hung up her phone and made her way over to May and Dawn.

As she approached the two teens, she took notice that May had just finished telling Dawn that her and Drew had gotten back together.

"That's great, May!" Dawn beamed. "I love that he was willing to put it behind him...ya know? That speaks a lot about him." Dawn smiled at May. She was really happy for her friend, but she couldn't help but feel a bit envious that she was able to get back into her relationship as fast as she did. She wished her and Ash could do the same, but she was convinced they wouldn't be getting back together.

Not that it would be the best idea anyway.

"Yeah...I still feel bad, though...for everything," May's lips formed into a pout as she took a few seconds to ponder on the past events.

Dawn knew well what she was talking about. "May, it's fine. It's behind us, okay?" she reassured her by trying to convince her will a small. Dawn really did put what May had done behind her. She knew that if she hadn't done her dirty deeds, that none of this would have happened in the first place.

May sighed and nodded her head. She then took notice of Leaf walking back over to them, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," Leaf answered, knowing May was referring to plan. "I hope." She sat beside Dawn and placed her bags on the floor beside her feet. "You okay, Dawn?" she asked, noticing the look on her face.

"Honestly, no," Dawn admitted with a sigh. "Ash has been the only thing on my mind since the other day. Today, shopping with you two, actually made me forget about everything that happened...but as May and I were talking, I realized again that I really messed up with him." Dawn fought back the tears and closed her eyes to get rid of them.

May bit down on her lip. She felt bad because she felt like she was responsible for Dawn feeling this way right now.

"How can I fix this?" Dawn continued. "I feel like it'll be impossible...even to just get him to be my friend."

Leaf exhaled and decided to tell Dawn about the plan. "Dawn, Ash is on his way here with Gary and Drew..." Leaf trailed off her sentence and watched as the bluenette's eyes widened in shock. She didn't say anything, so Leaf continued, "We all set this up...we want you and Ash to make up. We thought it would be the best option right now."

"I-I don't know if I should be happy, mad, or nervous," Dawn finally said.

"Don't you want to talk to him?" May asked.

"I do," Dawn breathed out. "I really do. I want to make things right, but I just wasn't expecting it so soon. I don't even know if he'll talk to me...You guys set this up, but don't know if he's even willing give me the time of day and here me out. I really hurt him...I wouldn't even forgive me if I were him, honestly."

"Dawn you have to try," Leaf said in a motherly time. "What's the worse that can happen?"

"Um...them showing up now?" May answered before either of them could give an example of something bad actually happening.

Leaf and Dawn turned their heads to look in the same direction as May to see the three boys heading towards them.

"We're going through with this plan," Leaf told Dawn quickly. "It's worth a try. I'm going to haul Gary off somewhere, and May you do the same with Drew, okay?"

Just as she finished, the boys arrived to their table.

...

"Again, why are we at the mall?" Ash asked as he got out of Gary's car.

"Why not?" Drew answered. "It's been a while since it was just _us _hanging out."

"Yeah, you're right," Ash said with a shrug of his shoulders. He did appreciate just the three of them hanging out. He needed it to take his mind off Dawn and what happened between them. What better way to do this than to hang with his friends?

Him and Drew started towards the entrance of the mall, while Gary lagged behind them.

"We just got here a few minutes ago," he told his girlfriend as soon as he answered her call. He knew that was why she was calling, so he saved her some breath. He pressed the lock button on his car keys, causing his car to beep.

_"Okay, good. We just finished shopping, so you made good timing. How's Ash? Does he seem...sad?"_

As Gary began to speak, he lowered his voice because he didn't want Ash to overhear him talking even though he was a bit far away from them. "He seems okay. We haven't talked about the situation really. Drew only informed him that he had gotten back together with May."

_"That's it?"_

"Yeah. Is Dawn alright?" Gary asked.

_"She was fine when I picked her up. I'm sure she's even happier now that we've been shopping. We haven't talked about the situation at all."_

"Do you think this is going to work?" Gary's voice now dripped with concern. He was pretty sure about the plan yesterday, but now that it was time for it take place, his hopes weren't as high anymore.

_"I hope...We'll see in a few minutes, I guess."_

Gary sighed and ran a hand through his hair."We'll see you guys in a few minutes."

_"Okay, please act as casual as you can. Make it seem like this wasn't set up." _

Before Gary could respond, she hung up the phone. _Casual, _he thought to himself. _That shouldn't be too hard. _

He caught up with Ash and Drew just at they were about to enter the mall.

"We thought you got lost," Ash said chuckling when Gary ran up beside him.

"I had to.. make sure my car was locked," Gary said smoothly, covering up the phone conversation he had with Leaf regarding Ash.

The boys made their way through the mall, making small talk and cracking jokes, and overall enjoying their guy time. It was something they needed after all that happened.

They had approached the food court, and Gary casually looked for the girls, without Ash taking notice. However, he wasn't even paying attention at all because he was too wrapped up in the conversation he was having with Drew.

Gary had soon spotted them sitting at a table in the middle of the food court. He thought how he should go about approaching them without being suspicious to Ash.

"Hey, I see Leaf and May," Gary said suddenly, alerting the other two boys. His voice definitely didn't come out casual, he knew that for sure. It seemed to work, nonetheless, because as he veered off in the girl's direction Ash followed without saying anything. Gary knew he seen Dawn, because with Dawn's blue hair, she stuck out. Maybe he did want to talk to her.

Or maybe he just didn't want to be by himself while Gary and Drew walked to see their girlfriends.

As they approached the girls, Ash tried to keep his eyes off Dawn. She didn't seem to notice him or the other two boys as they approached them which was a good thing. Ash wasn't sure how he should act towards Dawn. He wasn't sure if he should talk to her or ignore her. He was still heated and hurt by the entire situation and he still didn't know if he wanted to talk to her just yet.

Half of him did, but the other half didn't.

He had to decide quickly.

"'Sup, ladies," Gary greeted the three girls causing them to all turn their heads and look at the three boys. He bent down and gave Leaf a kiss on her cheek.

"Hi," Leaf smiled and giggled as her boyfriend graced her cheek with a kiss. "What are you guys doing here?"

Gary was surprised at how well Leaf was covering this up. She really did sound surprised to see them.

"Just hanging out," Gary replied calmly with a smirk on his face.

"You three did a lot of shopping," Drew said, observing their shopping bags. He knew all three of them liked to shop, so he wasn't too surprised.

"It's mainly prom stuff," May said in dismal. "Oh! Drew! Which reminds me! I'm so glad you're here! I want to show you the dress I'm thinking about getting. It's really beautiful, I think you'll love it." Excited, May picked up her shopping bags and dragged her boyfriend away from the couple.

Gary laughed as May dragged Drew along with her.

Dawn sat quietly while Ash stood quietly, both trying not to make eye contact with one another. They thought they were going to get away with it until,

"Gary!" Leaf exclaimed as she hopped up from her seat. "I saw a dress that caught my eye, too. I want to see what you think of it!" Even though she already had her prom dress, she only said this as an excuse to leave Ash and Dawn alone. She picked up her bags and handed them to Gary. "Thank you," she smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

With that, she walked away with Gary following behind her.

Ash stood uncomfortably, trying to think of something he could possibly say or do in this situation his friends left him in. He started to think this was all a set up. He found it weird how May and Leaf dragged his friends away, leaving him alone with Dawn.

Maybe it _was_ a good thing.

Dawn sat nervously at the table, biting down on her lip. She didn't know if Ash was waiting for her to say something to her. She didn't know if she should even say something. She was so unsure about talking to him right now because she didn't know how he would react to her.

But she wanted to.

And she was going to.

"Ash..." Dawn said his name quietly. He had finally made direct eye contact with her. She almost melted seeing his brown eyes stare back at her blue ones. He didn't say anything, he only looked at her. "Can you...sit. Please?"

He still hadn't said anything.

He simply obliged, and pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

This was now her chance.

This was the first time had made any type of contact since they'd broken up. As for as she knew, this was her only chance to hopefully get Ash back on her side.

Ash tried to keep a solid expression on his face as he eyed his ex-girlfriend. As much as he wanted to hug her right now and wanted things to go back to normal, he couldn't. What she had done and put him through still lingered in his mind. The pain still existed.

"Ash," Dawn breathed, "you probably don't want to hear it, but I'm _so _so-"

Before she could get her last word out, Ash stopped her and be began to speak. "You know, Dawn, you're right...I _don't _want to hear your apology right now." His words shot at her like sharp knives. He could tell she was effected by her words by her expression. "I'm going to be honest with you," - his tone softened along with his facial expression - "I _want _to take you back." He watched as Dawn's lips curved into a small smile. He felt kind of bad for what he was about to say next because he knew it'd wipe that precious little smile away. "But, I'm _not_."

It killed him to tell her that then watch her expression drop, but he was only doing what he thought was best.

"I love you, I always will, but I think it's best if we just remain at a distance. I'm still _so_ mad at you and upset about everything you did and if I took you back, I wouldn't feel right. I feel like you went behind my back and betrayed me...something I thought you would never do. I can't let that happen again."

"Ash, if we got back together, I wouldn't mess up a second time," Dawn explained. "I know I-"

Before she could finish saying what she wanted to say, Ash cut her off again. "Dawn, there's no need in trying to apologize. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it won't get us back together."

"Ash, I want to apologize," - Dawn's tone held a sign of anger - "because I feel like I owe you one. I know I messed up big time. The least you could do is listen!" she raised her voice in with the last sentence. Anger was building up inside her because Ash wouldn't let her explain herself - something she really felt like she needed to do in order for them to get completely over it.

"Why should I listen to you?" Ash asked, getting equally angry. "In the end, you did what you wanted to do and it broke us up. You weren't sorry when you were busy kissing Kai, so why be sorry now?" Ash's voice was now filled with complete anger. This was a touchy subject for Ash. And being that it was still fresh to him, it angered him.

"Because I'm a girl and I'm admitting that this is all my fault! Don't act like you didn't make-out with my best friend!"

"Fine, you admitted it. Now why don't you go run off with Kai and date him," Ash said dismissing her and ignoring what she had said about May. As he stood up, ready to leave, Dawn had stopped him by continuing their argument.

She scoffed at his comment and also stood up, glaring hard at him. "And then what? You'll go run off and date Misty again? Or maybe even May?"

"You know, if I wanted to, I could," Ash scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I could get any girl I wanted. I've dated a hundred other girls before I dated you."

"Oh, did you-" the bluenette cut herself, and thought about what Ash had said. She raised an eyebrow as she asked, "A hundred?" Her glare lessened as she thought back to how Ash told her he didn't date a lot of girls in the past. Did he lie to her? Or was he just saying that?

Ash also released his glare. "...Give or take," he said in a skeptical manner. He was bluffing. He had only said he dated a lot of girls in the heat of the moment and to anger her further.

"Give...or take?"

"...take," Ash said, seemingly embarrassed, inferring that he didn't really date that many girls.

The bluenette couldn't contain the smile and giggle that escaped. Her outbreak even caused Ash to chuckle and ease up. "Ash...what are we doing? Why are we even arguing?" She sat back down in the chair, and Ash followed suit.

"I don't know," Ash said, slightly shaking his head. "But, Dawn...I can't take you back. I-"

"I understand Ash," Dawn said sadly, cutting him off. "It's for the best, right?" She tried to smile at him, but it quickly went away. "I mean, I'm moving in a couple of weeks and you'll be going to college..."

"Right." Ash stood up and walked around to her side of the table and held out his hand with a small, genuine small on his face. "But this doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?"

Dawn looked up at him and smiled, putting her hand in his, allowing him to help her up. "Right. Lets go find everyone else."

Dawn felt relieved that her and Ash had somewhat made up and agreed to be friends, however it still hurt that she couldn't have someone back who was once her other-half.

As Ash was about to walk away, still holding Dawn's hand, he tripped on one of her bags that were on the floor and fell down after failing to keep his balance, bringing Dawn down with him.

"Ow, Ash, why didn't you let me go?" she said, annoyed that she had to be the one to break his fall. He had somehow managed to end up on top of her, much to dismay.

"Uh-uh, um..." Ash fumbled on his words, as he thought back to their first encounter. "T-this...was how we first met...remember?" Ash stared deeply into Dawn's eyes. He was mesmerized by them. Just like how he was when he fell on top of her in their first meeting.

Red blush tinted Dawn's cheeks as she let Ash's eyes melt into hers. "I remember..." Her heartbeat sped up once she realized Ash's face was closing in on hers, which she was something she wanted.

But she had to remember something.

"Ash," she said suddenly, stopping him. "We're just friends."

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: I could have kept going with this chapter, but I thought this was a good way to the end chapter. :p<strong>

**Special thanks to my bestest friend ever shadowkittyxX for helping me with the scene between Ash and Dawn. She gave me great ideas and I was able to incorporate them :D So thank her for majority of that scene because if it weren't for her, I would not be updating right now xD  
>And if you haven't already checked out her stories, do me a favor and swing by her page and read them. She's a great author and her stories are awesome! <strong>

**The next update will take a little longer, so I'm not sure when I'll update. Hopefully it won't take me too long :p**

**Please review!**

**- Angel _o/**


	24. Third Times a Charm!

**Author's Notes: I lied xD this update came much faster than I anticipated. Not that I'm complaining I doubt some of you are either. But this happens when you're totally back into writing. ;) **

**Thank you to everyone that has reviewed the last chapter! :D**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>"Ash,<em> we're just friends,"<em>

Those words lingered in his head for a moment before he finally realized what he was close to doing. _Just friends_, he told himself. He felt like he had shot himself in the foot, because that would have been the perfect kiss between them to. He almost felt it on his lips.

If only they could be together again.

He quickly removed himself from on top of her, getting a few glances from onlookers, and helped Dawn to her feet. "Sorry about that," Ash said sheepishly, running one hand through his hair. "That was my fault."

"Ya don't say," Dawn said jokingly as she straightened out her clothes and hair.

"I'll take those for you," Ash said grabbing her shopping bags from the floor before she could get them. "Woah, these things are heavy. What's in here?"

"A bunch of stuff for prom..." she said quietly. Speaking of Prom, brought a question to her mind that her been lingering in her mind ever since they had broken up.

"Um, about prom...we're not going together anymore, are we?" She looked Ash dead in the eyes as she asked him this. "We could still go as friends..."

She had been looking forward to going to Prom with Ash ever since they had gotten together. She was pretty sure she knew what his answer was going to be, but she knew of couples who had broken up but still went to Prom together as friends.

Ash took time to think. "Dawn, I honestly don't think it would be a good idea." He wanted to go to Prom with Dawn as much as she wanted to go with him, but Ash wanted his feelings for Dawn to slow down and if he went to Prom with her, he was sure, they would be the same. And being that she was leaving Kanto the day after Prom, Ash wasn't sure he would be able to cope with a lot of feelings for someone who was no longer in his life. He wanted to start the process of getting used to living without her. "Sorry..."

"Oh, it's fine," Dawn waved her hand in dismissal as if she didn't care. She did care if fact, but maybe them not going together was a good idea. She convinced herself that it would save her from an awkward night.

They both began to walk out of the food court. "I was just asking...so who will you go with now?" she asked curiously, wondering if he had another girl he could fall back on.

"Uh, it's pretty late and I know everyone has a date...plus there's no one else I'm interested in taking, so I'm just going by myself." He ran a free hand through his black hair, sheepishly. "What about you?"

"I'm going solo, too," Dawn said, laughing it off. She didn't ever imagine she'd be going to her first Prom alone.

Ash chuckled as an idea popped into head. "You know, you could go with-"

"Don't say it," Dawn said quickly, in a serious tone, cutting him off. "It's too early for jokes like that."

"Who said I was joking?" Ash chuckled again when the blue-haired girl threw him a glare with her fierce, icy blue eyes. He quickly stopped laughing and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I was kidding. Don't get defensive."

"It's still a touchy subject, Ash."

"Sorry..."

He agreed with her. The subject was still fairly new, so making jokes about her and Kai was unacceptable.

The two walked aimlessly through the mall until they had finally came across the rest of the group. They had enjoyed their little time together as friends. They still felt connected like they had when they were in a relationship. They talked to each other the same, still made each other laugh, and even flirted a little. The only thing that was different was the fact they no longer kissed, held hands, and acted like a real couple.

They only acted as friends.

Which wasn't as bad they thought it would be.

It had gotten late by the time Ash and Dawn found the rest of their friends, so the boys and girls soon parted after being reunited and headed home to get ready for school the next morning.

"I can't believe our plan actually worked!" Leaf said excitedly, giving May a high five who was situated in the passenger seat. This caused Dawn to roll her eyes playfully and giggle.

"I must say, your plans are pretty good," May beamed. "So, Dawn, what happened?" May buckled her seat belt as Leaf pulled out of the parking lot and turned around in her seat to listen to Dawn.

"Tell us everything!" Leaf said from up front.

Dawn laughed before she proceeded to talk. "What, do you want the entire conversation?" she joked.

"Yes," both brunettes said at the same time with seriousness taking over their voices.

"I'll just give you two the basics," Dawn said being a bit weirded out with how they responded at the same time.

Dawn took the entire car ride to her house to explain what happened between her and Ash.

Leaf had pulled into Dawn's driveway and turned her car off until they were all finished talking. "So, do you think you'll be close with him?" Leaf asked as she turned around to face her friend.

"Like best friends? No. I mean, it feels the same as if we were still in a relationship, just without being romantic," Dawn explained casually. "I don't think we'll be close...which is good because the closer we are, the harder it'll be when I leave."

"Yeah," May said nodding her head. "If you two remain friends, without being too close, it won't be hard on either of you when you leave."

"I still miss our relationship, though...but I'll get over it soon enough. I'm actually content with being his friend."

"Are you two still going to prom together?" Leaf asked, thinking of something if the answer was no.

"No...he said he doesn't think it would be a good idea. I agree. I mean...spending a night with him and then having to leave the next day?" Dawn sighed and leaned back into the seat, crossing her arms. "I don't think I'd be able to deal with that."

"Is he taking someone else?" Leaf asked.

"He said he's not..."

"Do you believe him?" Leaf pushed. "I don't mean to put anything in your head, but what if he is? He just doesn't want you to know."

Dawn thought for a moment. Ash wouldn't really lie to her would he? Especially if they made a new start with each other as friends. Then again, she wasn't his girlfriend anymore so he really wasn't obligated to tell her his personal business anymore. "I don't think he's lying..." Dawn answered, unsure of herself. "But if he is, it's none of my business. I know this sounds selfish of me, but I really don't want him going with another girl."

Then again, Ash deserved to go to Prom with another girl. Dawn had the opportunity to go with him, but she screwed it up. And Ash still deserved to have fun at his senior Prom with someone to make the night special.

"I guess you're right," Leaf said.

"I'm gonna head in now. Thanks so much for helping to get us on good terms again," Dawn said as she looked at both girls.

May smiled warmly at her friend. "What are friends for?"

"Despite the incidents that happened, we'll always have your back Dawn," Leaf said.

The older brunette unlocked the doors so Dawn could get out. The bluenette said thanks again before she gathered her things and hopped out of the car and made her way into her house.

Leaf turned her car back on and pulled out of Dawn's driveway.

May took notice of the small smirk that played on Leaf's lips. She knew that look. "Let me guess...you have _another _plan?"

"Yes, and it's going to take a lot."

**x-x-x**

Dawn walked into her house and was greeted by her mom who was packing away their belongings in cardboard boxes. This usually saddened Dawn whenever she walked into the house, seeing multiple boxes everywhere, but she was too happy right now for it to effect her.

"So, guess what, Mom!" Dawn beamed, sitting her bags on the floor and walked over to her mom.

The older woman smiled and eyed the bags her daughter had placed on the floor. "You bought more stuff for me to pack up?" she joked.

Dawn giggled and rolled her eyes. "No, mom...Ash and I made up."

Johanna's blue eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Are you two back together?"

"Oh, no! We're just friends...but that's better than nothing, right?"

The older version of Dawn sighed in relief. She was thinking the couple had gotten back together which wouldn't make sense because they were about to move. "That's good, Dawn. I'm glad you two were able to talk things out and become friends. I told you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," Dawn said with a smile. "It's not the easiest thing, I admit, but I am content with the decision."

"Well it's never easy just being friends with someone you love. Especially after being together for two years. However, it's the best thing to do. It's better to make up than to not make up at all. He was at the mall?"

"Yes, he was there with Drew and Gary. May and Leaf took Gary and Drew off somewhere so that Ash and I could be alone," Dawn explained.

"Sounds like they had that in the mind," Johanna laughed. "What did you get from the mall?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Well, I got my shoes to go with my Prom dress and some accessories. I couldn't decide what I really wanted, so I got what I liked." Dawn laughed sheepishly as her mom through her a quick glare.

It would have been okay if Dawn was spending her own money, but she was using her mom's credit card.

"You really need a job."

"I'll get one in Sinnoh," the younger bluenette waved her hand in dismal.

Her mom rolled her eyes and moved on to the next conversation, "I'm guessing you and Ash aren't going to Prom together anymore?"

"Uh, no...we decided it's best if we don't go together. But it's completely fine, I'll manage without having a date. I can still have fun."

Johanna admired her daughter's optimism. She reminded her of herself in her younger days.

"I'll be in my room if you need me!" Dawn said as she picked up her bags and bounced up the stairs to her room to compare her jewelry and shoes to her dress.

**x-x-x**

"I knew this was all a plan!" Ash exclaimed from the passenger seat of Gary's car. Gary had just finished telling Ash how Leaf had came up with the idea and they all followed along with it. "It was too suspicious that you all left at the same time. I just knew something was up."

"Oh, calm down Ashy boy," Gary said as he backed out of the parking space and eased out of the mall's parking lot. "It's not that big of a deal. The main thing is that it worked. You and Dawn are friends again."

"Exactly. It's how they got May and I to get back together. Except we were forced." Drew said, recalling how Leaf basically made May and him make up.

"I kind of was too," Ash said with a pout. "I had no choice except to stay and talk to her. I didn't want to just leave her there."

"Are you complaining?" Gary asked, taking his eyes off the road for a few seconds to look at Ash in annoyance. The raven-haired boy didn't answer. "Alright then. So what happened? Did you kiss her?"

"No," Ash answered in a confused tone.

"Liar," Drew said.

"I didn't kiss her!" Ash exclaimed. "Wait...why do you think I kissed her?" Ash asked, slitting his eyes at Gary.

The brunette didn't respond, he only chuckled while Drew glared at said brunette as they both recalled what happened.

_"I don't think we should be spying on them..." May said in a worried tone as the four teens all peered carefully around a corner so they could see Ash and Dawn. _

_"May, do you ever live?" Gary said, rolling his eyes. _

_The brunette-haired girl glared at Gary and rolled her eyes. __"I just don't think we should be spying on them."_

_"Don't think of it as-"_

_"Both of you shut up," Leaf cut in, annoyed by their small banter. She had turned to look at her boyfriend and best friend to make sure they understood her._

_"You act like everyone's mother," Gary said bluntly._

_"I wouldn't have to if there wasn't immaturity here."_

_"Hey! We are not immature!" May said, crossing her arms._

_"Tell her again, May!" Gary said, giving her a high five. _

_Leaf simply rolled her eyes at the two. "My point."_

_"While you three are...arguing or whatever the hell you're talking about, Ash is about to kiss Dawn!" _

_All three brunettes instantly focused back on Ash and Dawn. The raven-haired boy was on top of his ex, only a few inches away from her face. _

_"How'd they end up on the floor?" May asked. "Did they fall or something?"_

_"Yeah," Drew answered. "Ash tripped over Dawn's bags and fell."_

_"I missed something that was probably funny, messing around with you two," Gary stated, referring to May and Leaf. His girlfriend pinched his side, much to his dismay because he jolted up in pain. "What was that for!?"_

_"Aw, man...he didn't kiss her," Leaf said, ignoring her obnoxious boyfriend. _

_"I think Dawn said something to stop her," May said, sounding a bit disappointed that they didn't kiss. _

_"Why would she do that?" Leaf asked, turning to glance at Gary who was lifting some of his shirt up to see if was bruised by the pinch, and then she looked at May for an answer._

_"I don't know! But they're coming this way!" Drew said in a panic, startling the others._

_Drew tried to quickly turn around and run, but he ran directly into May, causing him to fall back on his butt and causing May to fall as well. In panic, May had reached out and grabbed Leaf's arm in attempt to catch herself from falling, but ended up bringing Leaf down with her._

_Gary was the only one who was in a jumbled heap on the floor. He stared at them on the floor and burst into a fit of laughter._

"What's so funny?" Ash asked, snapping Gary out of the past.

"Nothing. That's the thing," Drew said. He didn't find what happened to be funny at all.

"Huh? I'm so confused," Ash admitted, trying so hard to piece together their conversation.

"Don't mind Drew. He's just upset that he got a little butt hurt." Gary began laughing again, causing Drew to get very annoyed.

"I should have tripped you when we all started running."

"What the heck are you guys talking about?!" Ash exclaimed. He hated not knowing stuff, especially if it's probably something funny he would find funny, too.

"Nothing, Ash," Gary said, calming down. "Anyway, so you and Dawn are just friends?"

"Yup."

"And you're cool with that?" Drew asked, leaning forward so that his head was in between Ash and Gary's seats.

Ash simply shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I really don't have a choice but to be cool with it. No need in taking her back when we're gonna be going our separate ways in a couple of weeks."

"Yeah," Gary said with a shrug of his shoulders. "You have a point there."

"It wasn't weird between you two? You know...as friends, not a couple," Drew asked.

"Honestly, it wasn't. We talked and joked around the same like a couple...it kind of feels the same, just without...romance." Ash thought back to how he almost kissed Dawn earlier. It hurt him that he could no longer kiss her, because her kisses were like magic to him. Even after two years, he was still never able to get quite used to her soft lips on his.

But it was time to let go...for the best.

"Well, at least it's not awkward...usually it's awkward for two people to be friends after breaking up," Drew explained.

"It's the bond they have," Gary stated. "Chemistry like theirs isn't going to just disappear overnight. That's why it's not weird." Drew and Ash stared blankly at Gary in surprise. With the attitude Gary carried with himself, you would have never thought, he'd say something like that. "What?" Gary asked, when he noticed he was being stared down. "I'm good at this stuff. Are you still taking her to prom?"

Ash finally blinked and answered, "No..."

"What? Why?" Drew asked in surprise. Now he was staring at Ash.

Gary pulled into Ash's driveway and turned his car off. He turned to face Ash. "Yeah, man, why not? Just because you two aren't together anymore, it doesn't mean you can't take her to Prom."

"I know," Ash said sheepishly. "I just feel like it wouldn't be a good idea...Look, I'm trying to ween myself off Dawn since she's moving. If I do that, I won't be so hurt when she leaves. If I don't...I might just go crazy when she leaves. And I think if I spend my time with her the entire night at Prom...I'll just be captivated by her only for her to be gone out of my life the next day. I won't be able to handle that."

"I understand where you're coming from," Drew said, "but you do realize that we're going to all be around each other the entire night?"

"I can keep my distance," Ash said, defending himself. "I can dance with other people..."

"So, if you're not taking Dawn to Prom, who are you going to take?" Gary asked. "It's your senior Prom, you can't just go without a date. That's weird."

"I'm completely fine with going by myself," Ash said. "Why are you guys drilling me? I'm _not _taking Dawn. For my benefit and hers."

"Yeah, you're right..." Gary said. "We just want to make sure you're making the right choice. But the main thing is that you and Dawn are friends again. That's better than nothing."

"Right," Drew said agreeing with Gary. "Hey...I just thought of something, what if Dawn goes to Prom with Kai?" He looked at Ash who seemed taken aback by his his thought. "I mean, I'm not saying it's going to happen, but..."

"Na, I don't think she will," Gary said.

"Same," Ash said despite being he was a bit unsure of that. What if she does go with him? "I mean, I don't think she will because she messed up by fooling around with him and she knows it."

"Never know," Drew said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Look, don't listen to Drew. Don't let him put that assumption in your head."

"Besides, she's single now...she's entitled to go with whoever she wants. It's really none of my business anymore." Even though Ash knew it was no longer his business who Dawn who was attracted to, he still didn't want her to go with anyone else, especially not Kai. He sure hoped she wouldn't end up going to Prom with him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Gary said. He understood very well where his friend was coming from. Drew reluctantly his shoulders, too.

"Well, I'm gonna head inside now," Ash said opening the car door. "Thanks for today, guys."

"It's what brothers are for," Gary said, pounding fist with Ash.

Ash also gave Drew a fist pound before he got out of the car and headed into his house.

As Gary was pulling out of Ash's driveway, his cellphone began to ring. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Gary carefully went into his pocket and retrieved his cellphone.

"Hey, no using your phone while you're driving!" Drew said from the backseat.

"Shut up, it's Leaf and I got this." Gary rolled his eyes and answered the phone. "Whats up?"

_"Gary, are you still with Drew? Have you dropped Ash off yet?" _

"Uh...yeah," Gary said in an uneasy tone, wondering why she asked him those questions. "Why?"

"Because, I thought of another plan!" Gary could tell by the sudden high pitch of her voice that she was excited.

_Great,_ Gary thought to himself. _Another Plan._

_"Put your phone on speaker," _Leaf instructed her boyfriend. _"Drew needs to hear this too."_

**x-x-x**

"Hi, honey!" A brown-haired woman greeted Ash as he walked through the door. She gave him a hug and a kiss on his cheek.

"Uh, hi mom," Ash said sheepishly, enduring the hug. He still couldn't get used to his mom babying him. He pulled away from the hug and looked at her with a smile on his face. "Guess who was at the mall today."

Ms. Ketchum's mouth bunched up as she thought. She couldn't think of anyone so she gave up. "Hmm...who?"

"Dawn," Ash answered in a perky tone. "We made up today. We're just friends, though."

"Oh, that's great, honey!" the woman exclaimed in excitement. "I'm so happy you two made up. I must admit that I'm a little hurt that you two can't be a couple anymore, but I'm happy you are at least friends with each other."

Ash smiled and ran one of his hands through his hair. "Yeah, it's not too bad. It pretty much feels the same with her, just without us being-"

"Romantic?" Ms. Ketchum finished for her son and giving him a wink which caused him to blush. She laughed at him and said, "You two did the right thing Ash. Maybe what happened between you two was for the best, because in a couple of weeks my little Ashy will be off to college and Dawn will have been left. You two would have had to break up eventually."

"Yeah..." Ash said. "I'm kind of glad things happened, I'm not happy about _how _it happened, but regardless it was for the best."

Delia smiled at her son. He was definitely growing up right before her eyes. "I like that you're thinking that way, Ash," she said as she walked over to a table to retrieved something that had came in the mail for Ash. "Here, this came for you today." She handed Ash a big tanned colored envelope.

_"University of Unova," _Ash read the front of the envelope.

He smiled as he opened the envelope from his future college that he'd be attending in just a couple of weeks. He was ready to move on to the next chapter in his life and what he held in his hands would be the start of it.

**x-x-x**

"I need to call Gary," Leaf said, pulling out her phone and dialing her boyfriend's number.

"Why so soon?" May asked.

"Because this plan needs to start tomorrow if it's going to work. It'll take the full two and a half weeks until and it's going to take all of us to help this plan succeed."

Gary's phone rung quite a few times before he finally answered. _"What's up?" _

"Gary, are you still with Drew? Have you dropped Ash off yet?" Leaf asked in a demanding tone.

_"Uh...yeah. Why?"_

"Because, I thought of another plan!" Leaf exclaimed excitedly. "Put your phone on speaker," Leaf instructed her boyfriend. "Drew needs to hear this too."

She heard Gary move around a bit before he finally said something again. _"Okay, so what's this plan you have?" _

Leaf heard the clear annoyance in his voice, but she ignored it. He was probably tired of her plans, but she didn't care. This was the last one and she really wanted it to be successful for the sake of her friends.

"Okay, so you know how I'm apart of the Prom committee?" Leaf asked.

"You might as well not be apart of it," May said, staring at her best friend. "This is your fourth year in the committee and you haven't even been active in it."

_"Yeah," _Gary said through the phone._ "You're like a dead member. What does this have to do with anything?"_

"Hey! If I was a dead member, then why did they make me their president?"

_"I don't know..." _Drew said, seriously,_ "Why did they?"_

Leaf scoffed and decided to ignore the three hassling her. "Look, with everyone's help, I can pull some strings and make Dawn and Ash this year's prom Queen and King."

_"But aren't only seniors allowed to be nominated?"_ Drew asked. _"Dawn's still a junior."_

"I said I can pull some strings," Leaf clarified again.

_"So...what's the point of crowning them Prom King and Queen?"_ Gary asked, sparking interest in the plan. _"It's just a stupid nomination that lasts for one night and the next day everyone forgets about it."_

"Dawn really wanted to go to Prom with Ash. But, as you all know, they're not going together-"

_"-and from what Ash said, it seems like he's gonna try to avoid her that night."_ Drew interjected.

"I thought that would happen, which is why I want this to work. Dawn's leaving Kanto the day after Prom, so she deserves to have a special night despite the damage she's done and if she doesn't at least have a date, her last night in Kanto won't be anything special to remember."

_"Ash said he's not taking her and he seems to stand by that,"_ Gary stated.

"Will you just listen and stop interrupting me?" Leaf said aggressively. She took a deep breath and released it before she continued. "After the Prom King and Queen are announced, they have a special spotlight dance to a beautiful song and everyone watches until it's over. It'll just be a cute, special moment between them two. I really think they need it."

No one said something for a while as they pondered on the idea.

"Well?" Leaf said, urging for someone to say something.

"I like it," May spoke first. "I know it will make Dawn happy for sure. With the chemistry those two have, that moment between them will be spectacular. She'll definitely remember it."

_"I do too,"_ Gary added. _"And going back to what Drew said, it would work because it seems like Ash is going to try and avoid her the entire night. I really like it, good thinking Leaf," _Gary praised his girlfriend as he took the plan into deep thought.

_"So how will even get them to win? Who else is running for Prom Queen and King?" _Drew asked.

"Exactly," Leaf said happily. "No one popular is running. Or anyone that would be a threat to them at least. They can win easily, but _we" - _she referred to herself and the rest of her friends - "have to make it happen."

"How?" the other brunette girl asked.

"One, we can't tell Ash or Dawn that they're going to be nominated. We _have _to be as discreet about this as possible, because knowing this, they'll try to back out of it and get their names removed."

"I don't know...Dawn might go along with it."

"I'm not taking any chances," Leaf said, stopping May in her tracks.

_"If we make this a secret then how can we campaign for them?" _Gary asked, raising the same question mentally from May and Drew.

"This is the hard part...over the next two and a half weeks, we have to let the entire junior and senior class know to vote Dawn and Ash as Prom Queen and King."

_"People talk, Leaf," _Drew said. _"I'm afraid someone is going to go to Ash and Dawn and ask questions about them running."_

_"_Which is why you guys need to make sure you tell them not to say anything to Ash and Dawn and to keep it a secret. It's important this stays a secret."

_"Wait, isn't it too late for more candidates?" _Gary asked, remembering the school announcements.

Leaf smacked her hand to her forehead in frustration, "Gary, were you not listening when I said _I can pull some strings?"_

"Leaf, what if people don't make the vote?" May asked.

_"Yeah, it could go in one ear and out the other," _Drew said, backing up his girlfriend's question.

"The entire school loved Ash and Dawn as a couple. No one interesting is running for King and Queen, so it's basically a done deal. They won't get everyone's vote, because of course you have those girls who have admired Ash for years, but were completely overlooked because Dawn came around, so they're jealous of her. They, well Dawn, won't get those votes, but she'll still get more than half. And boys don't carry drama like girls, so Ash is fine." Leaf looked at May with a hopeful look on her face. "So what do you all say?"

"I'm definitely in," May said with a bright smile on her face. She high-fived her best friend and laughed. "This should be great! This is your third plan, the other two worked and you know what they say about the third time? Third time's a charm!"

"I definitely agree," Leaf smiled. "Boys?"

_"We're in!" _Gary and Drew said at the time, causing Leaf to get excited.

"This is going to be great!" Leaf squealed. "Okay, I'll get them entered tomorrow, and you guys need to start spreading it around also. Make sure you're quiet about it and make sure the people you tell are too. We don't need anything getting in the way of this."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully I'll be updating in a few days again, but my laptop charger has a short in it - which means the charger has to be positioned in a certain way in order to charge, which is difficult to do - and I doubt I can get a new one because my laptop is at least five or six years old. So if it dies and I can't get my charger to work, well...it'll just be a sad time for me because I'm really enjoying writing again. Lets just keep our fingers crossed.<strong>

**Until next time, my lovelies. :***

**Please review! :)**

**- Angel _o/**


	25. The Rise of an Old Enemy

**Author's Notes: Back with another chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! :) You're awesome!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter...I really think you will ;)**

* * *

><p>School had started fifteen minutes ago and everyone was in their perspective classes except one brunette who was luckily called out of her original class for a meeting for the Prom committee. She was eager to do what she had to do for Ash and Dawn so throughout the meeting she sat impatiently, wishing it would end, and only half-listening to what the head director of the committee was saying. She could care less about what the director had to say even if she should have been listening, being that she was the president. Whatever she was supposed to do, she'd get the other members to do. She was really uninterested in the group, she only joined because it would look good on her college application. How she became the president was beyond her, but she wasn't complaining because her presidency of the group benefited her now that she had a plan of action.<p>

Finally, the meeting had finished and most of the members, including the director, had exited the room. Leaf and a few members, including the Vice President - who she didn't get along with very well - hung around.

The brunette hopped on the computer and signed into the committee's site where voters could vote for their prom queen and king. This access to the site gave the director, president and vice president the right to remove or add anyone running for Prom Queen and King as well as open and close the voting poll. Leaf made a few clicks on the mouse before she finally re-opened the registration for students to run. She had to hurry before someone noticed, not that she cared too much.

"What are you doing?" a clearly annoyed and stuck up voice came from behind Leaf. The brunette rolled her eyes and breathed out, knowing who the voice belonged to.

It was Amanda, the vice president. She practically hated Amanda. She was stuck-up, a wanna-be know it all, and she thought she was better than everyone, especially Leaf. They had gotten into verbal altercations a lot of the time, but Leaf didn't feel like dealing with her right now. "I'm minding my business," Leaf said, having the same annoyed tone as Amanda. "You should do the same."

The girl bent down, her head hanging over Leaf's shoulder, causing a bit of her her dirty-blonde hair to drape over Leaf's shoulder. She squinted her eyes and looked at the computer screen, "It looks like you're adding people to the roster for Prom Queen and King."

Leaf typed Dawn's name under the Prom Queen list and pressed enter, now having her as a running candidate. "Oh, you're smart. Good for you," she said in a fake excited tone, trying to get Amanda to go away

"You know what you're doing is wrong, right?" the blonde haired girl said standing up straight again and crossing her arms. "Registration closed a long time ago."

"You care because?" Leaf said plainly, typing in Ash's names and pressing enter.

"Because I don't like you-"

"Sounds like a personal problem," Leaf said cutting the girl off, and swiveling the computer chair around so she could look at Amanda. Her bright green eyes burned holes through Leaf's eyes. The brunette crossed her arms, looking nonchalantly at the girl as if Leaf was having her time wasted with Amanda.

"And I could tell our director and get you in trouble." Amanda gave a flick of her hair and a smirk, looking at Leaf who still went un-phased by her threat.

"You've been trying to get me kicked out of this club ever since we both joined and I became president," Leaf scoffed and stood up, facing Amanda. "Besides, it's not the like director cares. In case you didn't know, the more people that run, the more money the club gets from the school. I'm actually doing this stupid committee a favor. Also for my friends. So...it's a win-win situation."

Amanda rolled her eyes, clearly defeated. The brunette was right, the director wouldn't care anyway. She casually glanced at the computer, seeing that Leaf left the computer screen up, and noticed the two familiar names that she had entered. "Ash and Dawn? Didn't they break up?"

"Yep," Leaf answered.

"Why did you sign them up? What you want them to get back together or something?" she asked, pretending not to care even though she did.

"Not that it's any of your business, but no. Just so they can have a good night at Prom before they both leave each other for good."

"They're not going to Prom together?" she asked, pressing for more information.

"No."

"Hm..." Amanda grew a small smirk on her face after hearing the brunette's answer. "Are they hoping to win Queen and King?" Amanda asked her last question, her smirk continuing to grow on her face.

"It's a secret, they don't know," Leaf rambled. "So if you say _anything _and Ash and Dawn find out...it won't be pretty for you," Leaf threatened, clenching her one of hands.

The blonde laughed, not feeling threatened by the least. "I won't say anything," she said, truthfully.

"And don't try to ask Ash to prom," Leaf said, noticing the sickening smirk on her face. "I'm pretty sure he won't be interested in you."

Amanda scoffed and rolled her eyes, holding up a perfectly manicured hand in Leaf's face, which angered the brunette a bit. "Please, I already have a date and _I'm _not interested in him at all."

"Good," Leaf said through gritted teeth. "Now excuse me, I have better things to do than to talk to you." With that being the last words Leaf said to the girl, she picked up her purse which was sitting on the computer table and made her way out of the classroom.

Once Amanda saw that Leaf was completely out of the classroom, she took a seat at the computer and click the button to register a new candidate for Prom Queen. "I don't want Ash, but I do know someone who does," Amanda said to herself in a devious tone as she typed and entered the girl.

Once she was finished, she logged off the website and stood up from the computer, and headed out of the classroom, shooting a text to her friend about what she had just done.

**x-x-x**

The school bell rang, signaling it was time to change classes. The halls immediately filled with loud teenagers, eager to see their friends, and some rushing off to class causing for the daily mass of chaos in the school. Leaf hurriedly hurried over to Gary's next class that he shared with Ash and Drew, to talk to him. And Drew if he was already there too.

She made her way through the sea of students and had finally made her way over to Gary's next class where she saw him standing and talking with Gary and Drew next to their classroom door.

"Hey guys," Leaf said with a smile as she walked over to the three boys. She took hold of Gary's hand and gave him a quick peck before turning her attention to Ash and Drew who had greeted her. "Ash...if you don't mind, I need to talk to Gary and Drew alone."

Ash's face twisted up a bit, before he nodded his head in understanding. He wondered if they were sharing secrets about him, which made him feel a bit insecure. "I'll see you..later, I guess," Ash said in an uneasy tone. He wondered heavily what she was going to talk to them about and he wanted to know. Maybe he'd found out soon. Ash walked into the classroom, leaving them alone.

"Well, that was pretty blunt," Drew said, seeing how Leaf sent Ash off. "Did you get him in?"

Leaf brought the two boys in closer and shushed Drew. "Not too loud," Leaf said in a whisper that only the three could hear. "I don't want him to overhear us. But yes, I got him and Dawn in the system. I'm going to start telling people to vote for them, and I want you two start as well, but not around Ash. We can't have him finding out, got it?"

Both boys nodded and Leaf backed out of the tight circle. "Okay," she smiled, "Now I have to go find May and let her know."

"Isn't it easier to just text her?" Gary asked, raising and eyebrow.

"Yeah," Leaf admitted plainly. "But I rather walk around a bit before I go to class, plus I can tell a few people to vote for Ash and Dawn along the way." Gary chuckled to himself and smirked at his girlfriend at her way of thinking. "I'll see you guys at lunch. Remember! Spread the word but keep quiet." With that, she turned on her heel and made her trek towards May's class, with Gary watching her as as she walked away before finally filing into class with his best friend.

As the bell rung, the remaining students of the class filed in the classroom and took their seats.

Ash watched as his two friends sat in their seats beside him and decided to ask them, "What was that all about?"

Drew's eyes widened for a few seconds, upon hearing Ash's question, and he looked at Gary with a worried face that read 'what do we say?' The brunette thought for a moment before finally answering, "Just some stuff about one of her classes that she wanted Drew and I to help with and it's kind of a surprise project that she doesn't want a lot of people to know about." Gary stayed calm throughout his little explanation, as he didn't want Ash to see he was lying. He wasn't completely lying, either because Leaf didn't want people - Ash and Dawn - to know about her 'project.'

"Oh..." Ash said, being easily convinced. "Well, I hope she passes!" Ash said excitedly, causing Drew to sheepishly smile.

"With our help, she will," Gary said in a smug tone.

The teacher took his spot in the front of the class and began writing idle notes on the board when there was a small knock on the door, causing him to stop what he was doing and strode over to the door to see who waited on the other side.

The teacher opened the door and greeted a girl as she walked in. "Hello, Ms. Waterflower, is there something I can help you with?"

Ash and his friends were taken aback by the girl who had walked suddenly in their class and peered over at Ash as she spoke.

"I wanted to speak with Ash for a moment," she said in a quiet tone, appearing to be shy as she spoke to the teacher, looking over at the raven-haired boy.

Ash looked at Drew and Gary with a questioning look to which they only shrugged their shoulders, not knowing what she wanted from him either. They were just as suspicious as Ash was.

"We're in the middle of class, Ms. Waterflower," the teacher said in a slightly stern voice."

Before he could say another word, she said, "it's important and it won't take long, I promise."

The teacher sighed and looked at her - she looked at him with begging blue eyes - and he looked back at Ash who just sat confused. "Okay," the teacher said, giving in, "Mr. Ketchum." He nodded to the teenage girl.

Ash slowly got up from his seat and made his way towards the door where she was waiting for him, earning a few giggles from girls as he walked by them. The girl allowed Ash to walk out of the classroom first. She went after him, closing the door behind them.

"I have a feeling she's up to something," Drew said, looking at Gary who was still in shock of the girl waltzing in their class, wanting to speak to Ash.

"It's Misty," Gary said, "she's always up to something."

**x-x-x**

Leaf made her way down the hallway, stopping a few students that she had saw here and there to tell them to vote for Ash and Dawn as Prom Queen and King - to which they much obliged to doing. Since the tardy bell had already rung, the hall was no longer filled with thousands of students rushing to class. There were only a few stragglers left, much like herself.

As she walked down to May's class, she noticed Misty walking on the other side of the hall, headed in the direction Leaf was coming from. The brunette scoffed upon seeing the orange-head and she was pretty sure Misty did the same, seeing the look on her face, but they both continued on their trek.

Leaf had never liked Misty. Especially after the drama with Dawn a couple of years ago. Though Misty had supposedly "changed" her ways and became Dawn's "friend" Leaf had never bought it. She felt like it was all an act, so she stayed away from Misty, much how Dawn and the rest of her friends had.

She rid her thoughts of Misty as she walked upon the class May was in. Peeking in the window, she spotted May, Kai, and Dawn all sitting together at a table with May and Dawn talking and Kai looking uneasy. He probably still felt flustered after everything that's happened.

Leaf lightly tapped on the glass, earning a few glances from students in the classroom and pointed over to May. One boy got May's attention, and pointed to the window. Leaf smiled and motioned with her hand for May to come out.

The brunette watched as May raised her hand and walk towards the front of the classroom.

A few seconds later, May jetted out of the classroom, closing the door behind her and walking them a few steps away from the door. "You got them in?" May asked, already knowing what Leaf had come to her for.

Leaf nodded, "Yup. So you can start telling people to vote for Ash and Dawn. And don't forget to make sure they don't find out, lay low about it."

"Gotcha," May said.

"Are Kai and Dawn okay? They looked a bit..." Leaf trailed off her sentence, unable to find the appropriate word to describe them.

"Awkward?" May finished and Leaf nodded. "Yeah, they haven't spoken since the day everything got so crazy, so it's kind of weird for them I guess. Dawn is just talking to me, and when Kai tries to join in on the conversation, Dawn doesn't really acknowledge him."

"Hm...maybe they need to talk this out on a friendly basis, nothing more. Because we'll need his help."

"It's Kai. He'll help period. He feels really bad about what happened. Want me to let him in on the plan?"

"Yeah... since he's so sorry about what happened, then I'm sure he'll try to do whatever he can to make it up to Ash and Dawn. So like you said, I'm sure he'll help - for their sake."

May nodded her head with a smile. "Okay, I'm gonna head back to class. I'll start spreading this around after class."

"Okay," Leaf said, "See ya at lunch!"

The two girls parted ways, with May heading back into her class and Leaf finally going to her class.

**x-x-x**

May left the two teenagers by themselves in an awkward silence while she left to 'go to the bathroom.' Dawn sat, trying to avoid her eye contact with Kai, and tapping her fingers lightly on the desk. She hadn't faced Kai ever since the big blowup and wasn't sure what to say to him. She wasn't mad at him, just more so confused because he played a part in her and Ash's breakup. She was sure Kai and her could be friends again, but nothing more. Whatever feeling she held for the boy, were now long gone and that was the way she liked it.

Kai sat equally in the awkward silence, not sure what to say to the girl. He knew what happened was his fault, regardless of what anyone said to try and persuade him otherwise. He wanted to apologize, first off, for all that he's done. He knew he'd never be able to go back in time and stop himself from some of things he did, but he wanted to somehow make it up to Ash and Dawn. He just had to find a way.

"Dawn," Kai said, breaking the long, eerie silence between them. The bluenette shyly looked at him, giving him her attention. "I don't know if you want to talk about this, but I want to apologize to you. For everything that I've caused to happened between you and Ash and the entire group. None of this would have happened if I had backed off. You were just my friend and I should have left it at that. I'm so sorry for everything, Dawn." Kai continued to look at her, solely in the eyes, giving her his sincerest apology hoping she would accept.

Dawn didn't say anything right away, she only looked at Kai, taking in and processing what he had just said. "It's okay," she said, finally causing Kai to let out a deep breath. "I made my share of mistakes too, so it's not entirely your fault. I was in a relationship with Ash and had feelings for you, which was _my _big mistake. I shouldn't have led you on the way I did." Saying this, she grew uncomfortable a bit and fidgeted in her seat. "I got what I deserved and there's nothing we can do about it now... I learned from my mistakes and in the future, I know not to do the same thing again."

Kai nodded in understanding, agreeing with her words. They both were at fault here and they had to admit it. Dawn should have left him alone and Kai shouldn't have allowed himself to fall for a girl who was in a relationship with someone he called a friend. They both should have stopped themselves and now the consequences fell back on them - mainly Dawn.

"How about we just start over as friends?" Kai said, with a smile. "_Just _friends."_  
><em>

The bluenette smiled and looked at Kai with sincere clear in her eyes. "I'd really like that."

"Good," Kai said smiling and chuckling to himself, causing Dawn to giggle.

They had to admit, that this felt better, being just friends.

May had re-entered the classroom and walked back over to their table. She noticed the two laughing a bit and raised an eye brow as she took her seat. "Did I miss anything?" she asked glancing back and fourth at them.

"Not really," Kai said, looking at May. "We just talked about something that had to be talked about."

"And we're good now," Dawn added, also turning her attention to the brunette.

May smiled at the two, loving the fact that they seemed to be on the right track again. As class went on, and they all went on talking and laughing among each other. May felt like things were actually starting to get better and being back to normal. How it should be.

**x-x-x**

Ash and Misty walked into the hall, moving a few steps away from the door for added privacy - courtesy of Misty.

He hadn't seen much of Misty after tenth grade - two years ago. He only saw her here and there, walking in the hallway, never stopping to speak to her as he had moved on from her, much like she had moved on to him. Or so he guessed.

Misty stood in front of Ash, which let him take in her features. Being that he barely saw her, he never paid close attention to her, not that he needed to anyway. Her orange hair stopped about three inches below her shoulders - she must have cut it because he hair was midway down her back when they were dating. He noticed her long legs underneath her shorts and the tight shirt showed off her curves and her bust which he noticed to be slightly bigger from two years ago. She didn't wear as much makeup as she used too and liked the natural look she adopted.

He snapped out of his daze when he noticed her piercing blue eyes gazing at him. He sheepishly scratched his head.

"Hi, Ash!" Misty said cheerfully as if talking to him was normal. They hadn't spoken in so long.

"Uh, hey Misty," Ash said awkwardly. He found this to be extremely weird and wanted to get away from her quickly. He hoped this wouldn't take too long. "S-so, what brings you...to me?" he asked, slowly.

"Well...I heard that you and Dawn broke up," - she tried to keep the smile off her face and succeeded, replacing her smile with a small frown, feigning sympathy for Ash - "sorry about all that's happened, too..."

"It's okay," he said, plainly, wondering where she was headed with this. He was sure she didn't come looking for him to offer her sympathy.

Perking back up, she said, "Anyway, I'm guessing you too aren't going to Prom together anymore?" Ash nodded his head and instantly knew what she was about to say. He tried to say something, but she started again before he could. "Well, I don't have a date and you don't either. So" - she lowered her voice slightly and looked down at her eyes as she spoke her next few words - "I was wondering if...maybe you'd like to go with me?" She looked back at him with begging blue eyes and hope shining in them as she waited for Ash to respond.

Ash sheepishly smiled and if he could sweat-drop, he would have. Here they are, standing in front of each other for the first time in two years, talking, and she asks him to go to Prom with her. "Look, Misty, it's nice of you to ask me and all, but I-I don't think it's a good idea for us to be going together. I mean, Dawn and me just got out of a relationship and I'm not ready to be seen with another girl, especially my ex."

The love Ash still held for Dawn forbid him to move on to any other girl right now. Especially Misty - his ex. He was sure he wouldn't be with another girl for a while as long as he still loved Dawn, regardless if they were far away from each other. He just couldn't replace her.

"Ash, I'm not trying to go to Prom with you on a romantic level," Misty giggled, reassuring Ash. "I just want to go as friends. Nothing more. I know you're still stuck on Dawn' - as she said this her voice tightened, and she tried hard to keep down her annoyance with the fact that he was - "I just think since it's your senior year and mine, that we shouldn't have to go to Prom alone. That would be no fun. Having someone to go to Prom with will be fun and after what Dawn has put you through, you definitely deserve it, Ash."

Ash wondered for a moment, what she knew about what he and Dawn went through, but quickly remembered that people talk. He then thought about what she said about him deserving to have fun at Prom. She was indeed right. Going to prom alone, he probably wasn't going to have a lot of fun by himself, but sharing the night with someone else would certainly change that.

"So, what do ya say, Ash?" Misty asked, breaking Ash away from his thoughts.

"I-I don't know Mist," Ash said, using her old nickname, causing her to blush slightly.

"Please, Ash? I just want you to have a fun night and forget about all the trouble you went through with Dawn."

Ash didn't say anything, he only looked at her unsure of what to say.

"You only get to attend Prom once, Ash. I can help you have the time of your life! Prom is a special night and I want you to have fun because it's what you need and deserve. I may not be Dawn, but I promise I won't let you down." She smiled and put her hand on his shoulder, gaining a genuine smile from him that made her melt inside.

"Fine," Ash said, defeated. "We can go, but only as friends who want to enjoy a fun night together."

Misty smiled, her eyes lighting up. "Right. Only as friends," she repeated what Ash said, happily. "I promise you won't regret this decision, Ash."

_I hope not,_ he thought to himself. He smiled again and asked, "What color are we wearing?"

"Gold," she answered.

"Perfect. I already have what I need then," he said. His and Dawn's color to Prom was supposed to be gold, so he was happy Misty was wearing a gold dress too so now he didn't have to hurry and find anything else. Though, he couldn't help but point out to himself that it seemed a bit weird that her dress was gold too. He didn't question her, he decided not too, pushing the fact that any girl could choose a gold dress for prom.

_I know, _Misty thought to herself deviously. "Great!" she gushed, happily. "I should probably head back to class now." Before she walked away, she caught Ash by surprised and brought him into a hug, which he returned carefully. "Thanks for saying yes, Ash. It means a lot to me."

Ash pulled out the hug, smiling sheepishly and blushing. "No problem. I think we'll be helping each other out by going to Prom together. I'll see you later, Misty," Ash smiled at the her and turned to walk back to class, leaving her standing there watching him walk away with a dazed expression on her face.

_Only as friends, _she thought to herself. _After that night, you'll think of me as more again. _

**x-x-x**

Ash returned to the classroom, earning a few curious glances from his peers and mainly from his two best friends who were eager to see what Misty wanted. As soon as Ash took his seat, Drew and Gary leaned in close him to, wanting to know what just went down outside the door.

"What did she want?" Gary asked.

"What did she say?" Drew asked.

They, too, both found it very weird that after two years of no contact she wanted to talk to him about something. It rose suspicion in both of them. What could she possibly want from Ash?

Ash took a deep breath, bracing himself for what he was about to say. "She asked me to go Prom with her."

Drew and Gary's eyes widened and one of them even shouted 'what' loudly, causing all heads to turn back to the boys and the teacher threatening to separate them if they didn't stay quiet.

"What the fuck, man," Drew said, leaning back in his seat. Needless to say, he was very surprised. "Why did she ask you? Is she still into you?"

"No way man, it's been two years. She thought it would be a good idea if we went together since neither of us had dates. She thought I deserved it after going through everything with Dawn," Ash explained.

"Did you say yes?" Gary asked quickly, hoping he didn't. Drew listened intently for his answer.

Ash bit his lip and smiled nervously, nodding his head.

"Ash, why?" Gary said, fighting back the urge to hit him in the back of the head.

"What's the big deal? We're just going as friends. And I quite frankly agree with her that I deserve to have a fun night. It wouldn't have been fun going by myself."

Gary face palmed and sighed. "Ash, you don't think it's weird that she happens to ask you to Prom _after _hearing about your and Dawn's break up? Don't forget about how much she hated Dawn and how much she loved you."

"Misty and Dawn were cool after that year!" Ash retorted.

"You believed that?" Drew piped up. "I think it was all an act to hide her bitterness."

"I think so too," Gary said, "Dude, this is too weird. I think she still has feelings for you. She saw that you and Dawn broke up and now she's trying to get another chance with you."

"Gary, you're over thinking this," Ash said, not agreeing with his friend. "We haven't talked for two years. She even had a boyfriend after me! She's moved on."

"Exactly!" Gary exclaimed growing frustrated. "Are you _that _dense, Ash? If Misty was completely over you, after two years, then why would she come to you asking to go to Prom with her? She's up to something, Ash and you need to watch out."

"Gary's right, Ash. This doesn't seem like 'just a friend thing'" - he used his fingers to make air quotations around the words - "And are you sure you want to show up to Prom with your _ex_-girlfriend. It's like rebounding to quick which will have people thinking if you were messing around with her while dating Dawn and that won't be a good thing."

"So what if that's what people think?" Ash shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I know I wasn't and you guys know I wasn't and that's what matters. People should mind their business."

"And Dawn?" Gary said. "Once she finds out you and Misty are going to Prom, she'll be torn, I'm sure. To a girl, there's nothing worse than watching someone they love go back to an old ex-girlfriend."

That made Ash stop and think for a bit. Dawn would probably indeed definitely think something was going on and he knew she'd be hurt by it especially because it was Misty and he pretty much knew how Dawn felt about her. But he also brought to mind that he was single and could go to Prom with whoever he wanted. After all, it was Dawn's fault.

"We're not together anymore, Gary," Ash said. "Just like Dawn can go with whoever she wants to, I can too. There's nothing she can do about it and I want to have a good time on Prom night. And like I said, we're only going as friends."

Gary and Drew shook their heads, knowing they weren't going to be able to get through to Ash. He seemed to be brainwashed by Misty already. Who knew what would happen on Prom night.

Or afterwards.

"I guess you're right," Gary said, "but you should still consider Dawn's feelings at least and reconsider going with Misty period. That's all we're saying. In the end, it's your decision."

Dawn hadn't considered Ash's feelings when she was messing around with Kai while dating Ash, so why should Ash think about her feelings? This thought invaded his mind. He card about Dawn a ton and still loved her but now, he was just looking out for him. He didn't have to worry about her and her feelings anymore, even if they were friends.

**x-x-x**

The lunch bell had rang five minutes ago, and Leaf had to stop by her locker before heading down to the cafeteria. Since the bell was five minutes ago, the halls were clear of students rushing to lunch, so she was by herself in hall.

Or at least she thought she was.

She was busy typing away on her phone, surprised and a bit angry about the text she had received from her boyfriend pertaining to two certain people - one she wasn't very fond of.

Her message was interrupted when she heard a familiar voice in front of her. She looked up to see, the person it belonged to. _Speaking of the devil,_ the thought to herself.

"Oh, Leaf! Just the person I wanted to see," the orange-haired girl said in a mock happy voice when she noticed Leaf walking down the hall. She stopped in front of the brunette, stopping her dead in her tracks, much to the dismay of her.

Leaf rolled her eyes at the sight of Misty. After what Gary just told her, she definitely didn't want to be in this girl's presence right now. She agreed with her boyfriend that Misty was up to something. "What could you possibly want to talk to me for?" Leaf spat out.

Misty laughed at Leaf's clear hostility, but she decided to keep her cool and play nice for now. "Not much, really...just to tell you that I'm running for Prom Queen. I knew that it would interest you." Misty smiled proudly at Leaf, showing off her pure white teeth.

Leaf's eyes widened slightly in surprise before she placed her eyes back to normal. _Not good..._ she thought to herself. "And you're telling me because?" she faked as if she didn't care, even though it was much of the opposite.

"Acting like you don't care, huh?" Misty chuckled coldly. "I'm running against your sweet little friend."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leaf said crossing her arms.

Misty cocked her head to the side innocently, her hair moving with her movement, "Did you forget the Vice President of the Prom committee is one of my best friends?"

"Amanda?" Leaf asked for clarity. Knowing that this was pretty much a done deal, she decided to stop playing dumb. "Why do you want to run? What? You want to steal Dawn's light? I've already heard you're going to Prom with Ash," Leaf gritted the last part through her teeth. "I think that's enough to hurt Dawn."

"Ash must be so excited he's going with me that he's telling people," Misty chirped happily which sickened Leaf. "And Maybe I want to win Prom Queen," Misty said, placing a hand over her heart, pretending to be hurt.

"Or he just told his best friends because they were curious to know why you dragged him out of class," Leaf scoffed. "If you wanted to be Prom Queen that bad then you would have entered when it was open."

Misty laughed. "You're smart, huh? See, Amanda told me what you told her and how Dawn and Ash weren't going to Prom together. She thought it would be good for me to run as Prom Queen, being that I can easily win, and I now think so too. You see, Dawn took Ash from me. Everything was fine until she showed up. And on Prom night, I plan on taking back what's mine."

"It's been two years," Leaf said, her voice getting high and annoyed, "Why aren't you over him yet? Are you _that_ obsessed with Ash?"

Misty ignored what Leaf said and continue. "Now that they're broken up, I can have Ash to myself again. Asking him to Prom was the first step. And once we win King and Queen, when we dance, he'll realize that he never should have left me."

"Sorry to cut your fantasy short, but you'll only be getting ten minutes of fame with Ash, because he's leaving for college a few days after Prom. He won't be thinking about you."

"Oh, you didn't know?" Misty asked with a smirk on her face. "I was accepted into the University of Unova, too. And I'm starting summer classes, just like he is. He _will _be thinking about me. It'll be perfect because I'll be the only person he knows up there. He'll have no choice but to hang around me and the more we hang together, he'll start falling for me again." Misty smiled, proudly. She felt like she had already won.

Leaf covered her face with her hands, wanting to scream, but she remained calm. "Misty, you're so delusional! You're not winning Prom Queen!"

"In case you've forgot, Dawn is running in secrecy, mine is Public, meaning posters, handouts, the things people need to see to vote. Dawn will be overshadowed by me." Misty saw Leaf's facial expression which let her know that she was surprised and laughed. "Amanda tells me everything I want to know. Your mistake for telling her."

"If you want to win so bad and beat Dawn, then why didn't you ask Amanda to withdraw her? You know she has that power, too."

"I thought about it, but I want to have the victory of dancing with Ash, winning the crown, _and _beating Dawn," Misty explained, "I want people to know that I do come out on top, _eventually."_

"God, you're such a sad story. Misty you seriously need help," Leaf face palmed and shook her head. "You're not going to win. My friends and I-"

"You mean you and your little dweebs?" Misty interrupted. "You could have a better group of friends, but..." - she looked Leaf up and down with a nasty look - "you fit in with them."

The brunette scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Guess you forgot how much more popular we are than you and your clan of skanks," she spat back.

"You know, Leaf, you were always jealous of me. I'm not surprised you said that." Misty chuckled to herself and whipped her hair around her shoulder, acting nonchalantly as if she were above Leaf.

"Jealous of what?" Leaf snapped. There was nothing she hated more than someone thinking they were better than her. "I'm much better than you. Anybody could tell you that."

"Even Gary?" Misty asked innocently. "Dare to go back in time and remember that he cheated on you with me?"

Leaf clenched her fist and un-clenched, remaining calm and remembering that Misty was not worth the trouble. "Why is this even relevant?"

"Because you were always jealous of me after he cheated on you with me," Misty stated bluntly.

"He obviously didn't have good taste and didn't know the better choice."

"He obviously did. I gave him what he wanted, something you couldn't do."

The brunette crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one leg, looking at Misty. "Sweetie, we were in the seventh grade. I wasn't swinging around my goodies to guys at a young age for attention and recognition."

Misty was lost for words. She crossed her arms before giving her hair another flick, being defeated. "Hmph! Whatever, I have better things to do than to stand around and argue."

"Good, I thought you'd never leave," Leaf said. It was the best thing she said during their entire conversation.

Before Misty stormed off, she said one last thing, "And good luck with getting Dawn Prom Queen. She's going to need it."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Looks like things just got interesting! This is the last bit of drama for the story, I promise xD This chapter was really easy and fun to write and really didn't take long for me to write, being that I started yesterday for like an hour and finished today before I go to work. So I hope you guys really enjoyed this chapter.<strong>

**I'm looking to update again sometime this week - hopefully. **

**In the mean time, please, please review! :) :***

**- Angel _o/**


	26. Plans to Take Down the Enemy

**Author's Notes: Hi! Sorry for taking so long, I was a little in a stump with this chapter, and got busy in the process of writing this chapter, so...yeah. :/ **

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! :D I loved some of you guy's reaction to it xD **

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

><p>Heated, Leaf finally continued her trek to the lunch room. She swung open the door to the cafeteria, earning a few stunned glances, and searched for her friends. Seeing, Gary, May, Drew, and Kai at their normal table, she stormed over to them and sat down beside Gary who took a quick notice to her mood.<p>

"What's wrong with you?" the brunette boy asked, trying to put his around his girlfriend, but was shrugged off. Then he figured she was mad about Misty and Ash going to Prom together. But she wouldn't be _this _mad about it.

"Misty is running for Prom," Leaf said hastily, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The other four were surprised, but mainly Gary and Drew because this only worsened their feeling that Misty was up to something. "And her intention on running? She wants Ash back. _Bad."_

"How do you know this has anything to do with Ash?" May asked curiously. It wasn't that she didn't believe Leaf, but what did Misty have to do with it was her question.

"Have they not told you that Misty asked Ash to Prom and he said yes?" Leaf asked May, looking directly at her. May's mouth dropped open in much surprise. "I ran into her in the hallway before I came here," Leaf explained, "Her best friend is the Vice President of the Prom Committee and she told Misty how I entered Ash and Dawn into the running for Prom Queen and King. Now Misty has this weird, sick plan on getting Ash back, starting with Prom night and she wants to win because she feels like Ash will really notice her during the spotlight dance, I guess." Leaf rolled her eyes upon saying the last part. Just the thought of those two dancing made her sick.

"Wow," Kai said. He didn't really know Misty. They had only met once in the beginning of the school year, but she had seemed nice and sweet. Apparently not.

"Oh, let me tell you what else she told me," the brunette said, leaning over the table, causing the group to listen carefully. "Just like Ash, she got accepted into the University of Unova." Before she continued, she heard the many gasps that escaped her friends in disbelief. "And also _just like Ash, _she's taking the Summer classes and leaving the same time as him for college. She said since she'll be the only person he know's in Unova, he'll hang out with his more and he'll start to like her again."

"Bro..." Drew said, "she's psycho. How did she even know about Ash and his college plans?"

"Exactly," Leaf said, wondering the same thing. "The girl is obsessed with Ash. She really wants to beat Dawn. Oh yeah, one more thing, that whole 'friends' thing with Dawn thing was totally fake," Leaf stated, only earning one surprised expression from May because Drew and Gary already had a feeling she was faking the entire time. "It seems like she's not over the fact that Dawn stole Ash from her."

"Well, I knew that," Gary said, looking at Leaf. "No one changes from hating you to liking you."

"Yeah," Drew said. "You'd have to be dumb to believe it."

After hearing Drew's last sentence, May's cheeks slightly turned red and she pinched Drew. "I didn't know! We never spoke often, but she was nice to me when we did!"

Drew was about to make a smart comment about how she was still idiotic to believe it, but Leaf stepped in before it could go further. "Guys, not the time. We have to do something about this. Have you tried to talk Ash out of going with her?" she asked pointedly at Gary and Drew.

Both boys nodded their heads, but Drew spoke. "Of course! But he seemed brainwashed by her or something. He really doesn't think she means any harm because she only wants to go as 'friends.'" Drew used air quotations with his fingers around the word 'friends' to emphasize it.

"After being with Dawn for two years, you would think he wouldn't be this dense," May said, rolling her eyes.

Leaf face palmed and shook her head. "I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe we can't stop him from going to Prom together, but we _can _still have Dawn win."

The doors of the cafeteria burst open, causing the small group to turn their heads in the direction, and emerged Misty with her friends, holding bright colorful posters that read, _Vote Misty for Prom Queen!_

In Misty's hand was a big basket filled with small bags of cookies. Students from all over the cafeteria flocked around Misty to get their hands on the goodies and promising her their vote, forgetting about their devotion to Dawn. The orange-haired girl caught Leaf's eyes and gave her a devilish wink, angering the brunette.

"Great," Leaf said, putting her head into her hands. "Just great, how are we going to beat her?"

"That was fast," Drew said dumbly, admiring how fast she worked to get sweets handed out and posters made.

"Can I go get one?" Gary asked his girlfriend in a sheepish manner, earning a glare from May, chuckle from Kai, and a slap from Leaf.

"No! You can't support her!"

Gary rubbed the back of his head where his girlfriend had hit him. "I just wanted to taste a cookie..." Leaf gave him a death glare and put his hands up in front of him, waving them. "Okay, okay, fine."

The brunette lightened her glare and pouted. "We're doomed...Dawn's doomed. We'll never get her to win."

"Whoa," Kai said, after being quiet for a while. "Leaf you're not one to give up and I won't let you! We can still help Dawn win. We'll just have to do the same thing as Misty..." Kai trailed off his sentence and glanced at Misty, who was handing out her little bags of treats before looking back at his friends. "We have to _openly _campaign."

"Kai," May began, "I don't th-"

"I think it could work," Leaf said, cutting May off and smiling at Kai.

"How?" Gary asked. "We can't have Dawn's name on anything, she'll find out and want to drop out."

"We _won't _have her name on anything," Leaf said with a wink. "I can bake cupcakes tonight and hand them out tomorrow and tell people to vote for Dawn. A sign isn't necessarily needed."

"People love free food and will do anything to get it," May said, now agreeing with Leaf and Kai. "My mom loves candy, we have a ton at home. I can fill bags with them and pass them out tomorrow."

"Wait," Drew said, "Won't Dawn be suspicious when she sees you guys handing out cupcakes and candy? What will be the lie to tell her?" The girls and Kai looked at Drew. He definitely had a point. The bluenette would catch them somehow.

"We're feeling generous," Leaf said, implying that it'd be their excuse to use.

"You?" Gary said, smirking. "Dawn won't buy it."

"Dawn won't see me doing it," Leaf threw back at her boyfriend. "I'll stay on the senior hall and in the hallways I know Dawn doesn't venture on. May can you cover the junior hall? Dawn will believe you more than she will me." She laughed, causing May to laugh as well.

"You're right. I'll take care of the junior hall. We _have _to beat Misty," May said, frowning her face and looking over at Misty who was loving the spotlight. "Well, _Dawn _has to beat Misty," May corrected herself with a giggle.

"I have an idea!" Gary said, earning the attention of his friends. "We could make little buttons that you pin on your shirt that says 'Vote _D_ for Prom Queen.'" he smiled at his friends, at what he thought was a good idea and waited for their answers.

"Won't that be too obvious?" Drew asked. "Especially if we pass them out. She'll figure the _D _is for Dawn."

"But what if _we_ don't pass them out?" Kai asked with a smirk, earning the attention of his friends who held confused expressions. "Dawn will suspect something if she sees us passing out buttons with a _D_ on them... but she won't be suspicious of Leaf since she's part of the Prom Committee."

"Kai!" Leaf beamed, "you're a genius! Dawn doesn't know who's running for Prom Queen or king, she's not interested. If she ever questions me, I can just tell her I'm helping someone who's running. Same with the cupcakes."

"And I can say I'm helping you campaign for the person tomorrow if she finds me passing out the candy," May stated with a smile on her face.

"Right!" Leaf exclaimed. "This is perfect!"

"So are we still telling people this is a secret?" Gary asked plainly.

"Yeah, of course," Leaf answered. "Still tell them to not say anything..."

"I kind of have a feeling she's going to find out," Drew said, rubbing the back of his head. He didn't doubt the plan, but it seemed to be too much. Dawn would have to find out eventually.

Leaf waved her hand in dismissal. "She won't. Gary can you make the buttons tonight? You have great hand writing, so just write 'Vote _D_ for Prom Queen!' and put it in the button thing."

"Where do I even get them?"

"Office Max sells them," May answered before Leaf could. "All you have to do is write what you want on the circle part and put inside."

"I hope all of this is worth it," Gary said sighing. He really hoped it would all work out in the end.

"It's for Ash and Dawn and to knock Misty down a few pegs," Leaf said, reassuring her boyfriend, looking over to Misty who was still being flocked by students. "It'll be worth it."

"Speaking of Ash and Dawn, where are they?" Drew asked, causing the group to wonder the same.

"I'm right here," came a girly voice which held a tad bit of suspicion as she heard her name. She took a seat next to Kai as her friends eyed her nervously, trying to act normal.

"How long have you been standing there?" Gary asked, scratching the back of his head.

The bluenette raised an eyebrow at him, noticing his weird behavior. "Long enough to hear Drew ask where Ash and I were," she explained, brushing off Gary's weird act.

"What took you so long anyway?" May asked.

"My teacher wanted to talk to me about something," Dawn answered her friend. She quickly glanced around, but seeing no sign of who she was looking for.

"So, have you seen Ash?" Drew asked, growing curious to the whereabouts of his friend. Ash never missed lunch unless he wasn't at school. And Ash was definitely at school today, so where could he be?

Dawn sighed to herself. Ash wasn't her boyfriend anymore, but she still would have liked to see him. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't seen him all day. Not that it was mandatory anymore. When they were dating, they'd see each other after almost every class. "No, I haven't seen him all day." She tried to keep the sudden sadness she felt inside, hidden from her voice.

All seen through it except Leaf and May. They could see it in her expression that she seemed a bit off about not seeing Ash. They knew how often they saw each other throughout the day and this change was something she had to get used to.

"Uh...I think I found Ash," Kai said, earning his friends' attention. They all followed his eyes to the other side of the cafeteria where Misty sat with her friends at a circular table similar to theirs.

Ash and Misty were in a clear view for the group. Ash and Misty sat beside each other and Misty's hand rested on Ash's arm as they laughed about something.

"Wow," Gary muttered to himself, surprised to see Ash sitting with Misty. "Didn't see that coming."

Dawn looked at the two, with surprise and hurt in her eyes. Many thoughts ran through her head. Had Ash gotten over her already? Does he like Misty? Does Misty like him? Are they a thing again? She blinked back the tears in the back of her eyes and decided it was best if she removed her attention from them. She had to remember that Ash was no longer her boyfriend, so he had the right to date another girl...even if it was too soon.

Though, she couldn't keep her curiosity down. She figured if anyone knew anything, it would be Ash's best friends, Drew and Gary. "A-are they...dating?" she asked pointedly at Gary and Drew but they didn't know that as they looked around to Kai, May and Leaf, seeing who was willing to tell Dawn about Ash and Misty going to Prom.

Finally seeing that no one was going to say anything, only stare, Gary spoke up. "They're going to prom together..." he trailed off his sentence and everyone watch Dawn's mouth drop open before a small frown formed her lips.

"When did this happen?" she tried not to project the way she was feeling: hurt, sad, and angry. She wondered what happened for them to end up going to Prom together. She knew for a fact that Ash hadn't spoken to Misty for two years.

Again, Gary was the only person willing to explain, so he did. "Today. A little after the first bell rung, Misty came to our class and asked the teacher if she could speak to Ash-"

"So that's where she was headed when I passed her this morning," Leaf said to herself, interrupting her boyfriend.

The male brunette gave his girlfriend a look before shaking his head slightly and continuing. "It was surprising to Drew and me because Ash and Misty hadn't spoken for a long time. When Ash came back in, he said Misty asked him to go to Prom with him and he said yeah."

"So, they're not...together?" Dawn asked curiously. She was sure what the answer would be 'no' but she still wanted to make sure.

"No," Gary said and the bluenette relaxed a little in relief.

"Not yet..." Drew said quietly, thinking no one heard him before he got a pinch in his thigh from his girlfriend. He jumped slightly as the small pinch caused him pain and looked at May who was glaring at him for the comment he made.

May had taken her attention off Drew and looked at her friends, seeing if they had noticed and they hadn't.

"Do you know why he's going with her?" Dawn asked, pressing for more information.

"Something about having fun that night," Gary said while letting out a sigh. "He said they're only going as friends."

_The title Ash and I could have went as..._ Dawn thought to herself. "I know it's really none of my business, but I have a feeling she doesn't want to be just friends with him. I mean...after two years and she suddenly comes up to him _after _we had a huge break-up. I'm not buying it." Dawn rolled her eyes and did a quick glance over at Misty and Ash. They weren't too close in contact, but she could see they were talking - probably flirting.

She didn't like Misty. Especially after what she put her through when she first arrived. Misty seemed to have changed and be friends with Dawn, which she bought for a little while, but she really hadn't. Dawn believed no one could change that quick and now it was proven because Misty had approached Ash, asking him to Prom, hoping to have him again. A 'friend' wouldn't do that.

If Dawn could do something about it, she definitely would. Seeing Ash with Misty upset her the most.

"We tried to tell Ash that," Drew spoke, "but he doesn't believe it. The man is dense."

"As a light pole," Leaf added, rolling her eyes and scoffing. She wished she could reveal everything that Misty had said, but that would only cause Leaf to have to say something about Dawn being in the running for Prom Queen which she didn't want in fear of her wanting to drop out.

"Dawn, you should try to convince Ash not to go to Prom with Misty," Gary said staring at the bluenette who gave him an incredulous look. "He might actually listen to you."

"No way! I'm not going to get involved in his personal affairs, Gary. Like I said, it's none of my business. I don't want him to go to Prom with Misty, but who am I to persuade him from doing so? He'll think I'm jealous or something. I don't want to come off that way. Plus, he's right. He needs to have fun that night. Maybe Misty can offer that to him." She regretted saying the last sentence, but she spoke it honestly. As long as he was happy, everything was fine...some what.

Seeing the hurt in Dawn's eyes inspired Leaf further to get Dawn crowned as Prom Queen. Leaf wasn't going to let her best friend down and let Misty take the crown _and _Ash. At least not while Dawn was still here. Leaf didn't care if Ash and Dawn were broken up, she still believed they belonged to each other and each other only.

Soaking in what Dawn said, the group was quiet for the rest of their lunch which was only barely a minute left. They agreed with her...to an extent.

The teens stood up, along with the rest of the many students in the cafeteria, as the bell rung.

Before anyone could really get moving, Ash made his way over to them in a sheepish manner being that he didn't sit with them.

"Look who decided to join us," Gary mused.

"Sorry," Ash said, waving his hands in front of him. "Misty was _begging_ me to sit with her."

Leaf rolled her eyes and started heading out of the cafeteria, along with everyone else. "I bet," she scoffed. She didn't put it past Misty to beg Ash to sit with her. After all, she _was_ that desperate for him.

Leaf and Kai walked a bit ahead of the group, conversing about something that was important to Kai. May and Drew were walking behind them and Gary, Ash, and Dawn were behind May and Drew.

Although Dawn was hurt by the shocking news she'd just discovered, she put it behind her for now because she still wanted Ash as her friend. Just because he was going to Prom with his ex-girlfriend didn't mean she would drift away from him.

"Hi Ash!" the bluenette said, putting as much happiness into her voice as possible, trying to hide the way she really felt. Gary slowed his pace and ended walking a bit behind Ash and Dawn to give them a little conversation privacy. Also, so he could listen to whatever they'd talk about without being noticed.

"Oh, hey, Dawn," Ash said in a plain tone. His voice didn't sound enthusiastic at all. He sounded more bothered if anything, which confused the bluenette and caused Gary to raise an eyebrow. That certainly wasn't like Ash. He also hadn't even looked at her when he spoke to he, he kept his eyes straight ahead as they walked out of the cafeteria.

Obviously, she noticed his tone, but she dismissed it, thinking she had simply interrupted his thoughts. Smiling again, she said, "Um, how are you?"

When they reached the hallway, Ash stopped and looked at Dawn, which made her heart beat speed up a little. "Dawn, I'd love to sit and talk but I have to head to class. I'll...see you later." He didn't even allow for Dawn to respond before he turned on his heel and headed into the direction of his class.

Dawn's mouth dropped open only a tad, watching him leave like that. Ash was never in the hurry for class. He always walked and talked with her after lunch before they went separate ways for their last class. They weren't dating anymore, but they _were _still friends.

She felt like Ash just brushed her off.

She let out a sad sigh and almost ran into Gary when she turned around. "You okay?" he asked, seeing her expression. He had witnessed Ash's weird behavior too and questioned it just as much as she did. It definitely wasn't normal for Ash.

"Yeah," Dawn said. She forced a smile on her lips in attempt to convince the brunette. He was about to object, but Dawn had spoken before he could say something, "I'm gonna head to class now too. I'll see you later, Gary!" With another forced smile thrown at him, she turned and headed for her class.

Gary shook his head and exhaled, muttering to himself, "Stupid Ash."

**x-x-x**

The end of the school day came and many students rushed to the bus ramps to ride the bus home, or if they drove to school, they rushed to the student parking lot. Leaf said bye to Gary and left, dropping Dawn off on her way home. Drew drove May home and the only three left were Kai, Gary, and Ash who had all drove to school on this particular day.

The three boys walked through the parking lot, heading towards their cars. Gary's was the closest, so he made it to his car first. He bid farewell to his friends and hopped into the car and drove away, leaving Kai and Ash.

The two boys hadn't spoken ever since what happened, and Ash planned to keep it that way.

However, not Kai. Leaf had gave him some advice and planned to put it to use now. He was ready to clear the air because he had no intentions on causing such a huge disruption between everyone, especially between Ash and Dawn.

"Ash," Kai spoke suddenly, grabbing Ash's attention. The raven-haired boy stopped walking and turned to face Kai. Ash's eyes were hard as he stared down Kai, which almost caused him to say never mind. But he wasn't going to back down. He owed this to Ash.

"Look, Ash, I just wanted to apologize to you for being the cause of yours and Dawn's break up. I honestly never meant for anything to go down the way it did."

Ash's glare softened as he took in the boy's sincere words. He certainly believed him, but it didn't change Ash's disliking to him. "You know, if you would have came to me that day Dawn and me broke up, I probably would have kicked your ass..." Ash trailed off his sentence and watched Kai before starting again."But, I'm over it. Lost my girlfriend because of you, but I feel like maybe it was supposed to happen. We'd be breaking up in a couple weeks anyway. I don't hold anything against you, I'm not mad at you or anything, but I can't see us being cool again. You were supposed to be my friend, but ended up liking my _ex_ girlfriend." Ash was sure to add emphasis on _ex. _"You're a cool dude and all, but I don't want anything to do with you anymore. I don't trust you."

Kai understood where Ash was coming from. He wasn't being rude or talked with an angry tone, Ash was calm and serious. He was honest and Kai respected that. He'd be the exact same way if he were Ash, so he didn't blame him. "I understand Ash," Kai said with a nod. "I just wanted to apologize and hope we could be on the same page."

"I appreciate that a lot, man." Ash gave Kai a small smile. They may not be friends, but they definitely weren't enemies. Ash would stay out of Kai's way, and Kai would stay out of Ash's.

Without saying another word, Ash turned and walked away from Kai, heading towards his car.

Kai watched him leave, still feeling a tiny amount of guilt for what he'd done, but nonetheless, he was relieved to get his apology to Ash off his chest. They might not be friends anymore, but knowing Ash accepted his apology was enough for him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Not much in this chapter, but it shouldn't go unnoticed :p It's kind of the start of something. A few things actually ;) Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading! Next chapter will be a bit more exciting, I promise ;)<strong>

**Not sure when I'll update again, but hopefully sometime next week! :)**

**Please review! :D**

**- Angel _o/**


	27. No More Secrets

**Author's Notes: Hi guys! Sorry this chapter took so long :/ I had gotten busy, plus I was stuck for a long time too. But I was over it thankfully, and was finally able to finish in two days. Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! :D I appreciate every single one!**

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

><p>The next morning at school, the halls were busy with students rushing back and fourth between places before their first class in thirty minutes. Excitement filled the students, as whispers transferred from one person to the next. Something was up.<p>

Two particular girls had arrived at school much earlier than usual to start their mission.

"Okay, you ready to start?" Leaf asked May who was smiling down at the goodies she held in a big basket. Leaf had a similar basket, but it held different treats for the soon-to-be voters of Dawn.

"Yup! I really think this will work! Like I said, people _love_ free food and will do anything to get their hands on it."

"And most importantly, they love Dawn!" Leaf said with a smirk.

"At least almost everyone," May said, looking in another direction. Leaf had turned her head to see what May meant and who she was implying to when she had said that. Across the hall, entering the school was Misty - who was also arrived at school early - with her group of friends behind her, carrying all of her campaign posters.

Misty spotted the two girls and eyed their basket of treats before chuckling to herself and shaking her head, clearly implying that Dawn stood no chance against her.

"She makes me sick," Leaf said rolling her eyes and turning back to face May.

May scoffed and shook her head, ridding the image of Misty from her mind. "Whatever, let's just get started."

"Remember, if Dawn sees you-"

"I got it," May said, interrupting her friend and winking. "She won't find out, no worries." With that May turned in the opposite direction of Leaf and started for her hall, stopping every now and then to hand out a bag of candy and telling people to vote for Dawn who obliged without question.

Leaf smiled with hope and headed towards her hall, doing the same thing.

There was no way they were going to let Misty have the satisfaction of beating Dawn.

May had made it to the Junior hall and had found herself a spot along the wall where students were passing her left and right. She stopped many students, telling them to vote for Dawn and gave them a small bag of candy before they eagerly agreed to vote for the bluenette and continued on their way. Students even came up to her, asking what she was doing and soon agreed to vote for Dawn and spread the word to other students. Some even denied the bag of candy, but agreed to vote for Dawn, being that they rather see Dawn and Ash together than Misty and Ash. It were actually a lot of students who shared that thought.

After campaigning for Dawn for twenty minutes, May thought it was time to pack it all up and head to class being that she had seven minutes left. She found this little campaign session to be a success and would soon report it to Leaf and also check on her session.

As she was headed towards her class, she ran into Kai and they were soon walking to class together. "So how'd it go?" he asked casually.

"You won't believe how many people are voting for Dawn!" May said, excited. "I'm sure some people were lying just to get free candy, but I can tell when someone is true to their word and there were so many like that! A lot even turned down the candy and just agreed to vote!"

Kai chuckled at the brunette's excitement. He was glad everything went well. "That's great! I really have no doubt Dawn will win. If you and Leaf can continue this over the course of the next week, Dawn is sure to win Prom Queen."

"I know!" May gushed, looking at Kai as they continued to walk. "I just hope when she does win, that she's not upset about it...I mean, we _are_ doing this in completely secrecy of her. I really want to tell her..."

"Tell who what?" a familiar voice said in front of May who hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings. The brunette snapped her head forward, knowing the voice and blushed, earning a skeptical look from her friend.

"D-Dawn...Hi!"

"Hey, Dawn," Kai said with a chuckle and in a more calm state. May was obviously flustered and surprised.

Dawn ignored her friends' greetings and eyed the basket may held in her arms. "What are those for?" her eyebrow raised in question.

May struggled to get her words are. She wasn't expecting to run into Dawn this way and while talking to Kai about it. And she didn't expect herself to be this nervous in trying to cover up the plan.

However, Kai helped her out and took over. "We're helping Leaf campaign for a girl who's running for Prom Queen," Kai explained with ease. "She had us pass out these little bags of candy and tell people to vote for her."

"Oh, that's sweet!" Dawn said with a smile. May sighed in relief when, letting her breath go seeing that Dawn bought the lie. Dawn picked up a bag of candy and noticed their was a sticker placed on the bag with a big, purple 'D' on it. "Does the girl's name start with a D?" she asked curiously. "And I thought that being Leaf was president of the Prom Committee, she wasn't aloud to help candidates..."

"Oh well, she's not really supposed to!" Kai said, feeling a bit lost for words. But he kept himself together good, nonetheless. "But you know, their director doesn't really care what they do, so she's helping out someone."

"That's so sweet of her," Dawn said with a smile. "She's doing something nice for a change." All three friends giggled and began to walk to class together. May looked over at Kai and mouthed 'thank you' which he returned with a head nod and a smile. "So, can I take one?" Dawn asked, keeping hold of the bag of candy she picked up.

"Well, only if you plan on voting for Daw- Dana at prom," May said quickly covering up her mistake and forcing a toothy smile.

"Aw! I didn't know Dana was running for Queen! She's so sweet!" The girl May had named was a twelfth-grader who Dawn had shared an elective class with the previous year. Dana was a softball player and one of the nicest people Dawn had ever met. "She definitely has my vote, she deserves it! I hope she wins!"

May chuckled to herself sheepishly, blushing. "Y-yeah...I hope so too."

**x-x-x**

Leaf situated on a spot on the wall on the Senior hall and was currently passing out cupcakes to students who flocked to her and told them to vote for Dawn, which everyone agreed to. Just as people denied taking the candy from May, people did the same with Leaf and agreed to voting for Dawn without having to be bribed. This pleased Leaf.

"Vote for Dawn!" Leaf said as she handed a cupcake to boy who had came up to her.

"She already had my vote," the boy said with a wink, "this cupcake is a bonus! Thanks, Leaf!"

Leaf laughed as the boy walked away, stuffing his cupcake into his mouth. She knew for sure, a lot of boys were placing their votes for the bluenette because they found her to be very attractive.

"May, I have one?" A voice came from behind her.

Leaf giggled and turned around to see Gary smiling down at her. "Only if you are voting our lovely friend as Prom Queen."

"Duh," Gary said, causing both of them to laugh. When he tried to reach for one in the container, she moved it away and waved a finger up at him.

"These are for the other students only. I need _all _of them, babe..." Gary's expression dropped, which made the brunette giggle and roll her eyes.

"But you have so many...one won't hurt."

"And there are _so many _students attending Prom this year. Don't worry, I stayed up and hour and a half later last night making some specially for you." she winked at her boyfriend and stood on the tips of her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I left them at my house, though, so you'll have to come by and get them later."

"Fine by me," Gary said, throwing a suggestive wink at his girlfriend who would have hit him if her hands were free enough to do so. "I brought the buttons," Gary said, holding up the bag of purple and white clip on buttons in a bag.

"Gary, these looks awesome!" Leaf praised, examining the buttons. They were all purple with _'Vote for D'_ written in white letters, lined with silver glitter. Some buttons had cursive lettering on them, while others were bubbled and some were plain. "I'm surprised you were able to pull this off," she joked teasingly. "Wanna help me pass this stuff out? We still have ten minutes."

"Of course!" Gary said smiling.

The couple successfully passed out the goodies, with everyone promising their votes go to Dawn.

Jealous, Misty lurked around the corner, eyeing how people flocked to the couple. Students who had just promised to vote for her yesterday were now on Dawn's side and she didn't like it. She walked away and angrily taped her poster to the wall. Now that she realized Dawn was going to be an even bigger threat than she realized, she knew what she had to do to eliminate her competition.

**x-x-x**

It was now later in the school day and the bell had rang, signifying that it was time for the fourth lunch shift to begin and that it was also the last thirty minutes of third block. Students in third block bid farewell to their teacher and headed towards the lunch room to unite with their friends and eat lunch together.

The hallways bustled with students, all rushing to get to the lunch room before the lines were able to get too long.

Along their way to lunch, Leaf and Gary passed out a few more cupcakes and buttons to students in hope to get more votes for Dawn. However, they had to stop because people were getting a little too crazy trying to reach for cupcakes. Leaf came to the conclusion that it's not the best idea to pass out cupcakes before lunch because of the obvious reason that everyone was hungry.

The couple had made their way over to the table, where their friends were already sitting and talking. May had caught up Leaf on the campaigning she had done in the morning and said that it was successful, except the fact that Dawn would have caught her if it weren't for Kai coming to the rescue.

"We'll pass out more tomorrow," Leaf said smiling and feeling accomplished. "I can't believe how great this is going! On the first day, at that." Leaf looked across the cafeteria to catch any sign of Misty, but she didn't see her, surprisingly. However, she _did _see Ash walking over to them. "Oh, look, Ash's coming," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Back so soon?" Gary said jokingly, as Ash walked up to their table and sat in his usual seat as if he hadn't just ditched them yesterday.

"Trust me, I'd rather sit over here with you guys than with Misty and her friends," Ash explained, shaking his head.

"Oh, really?" Leaf asked, in an unfriendly tone. "Cause you looked pretty satisfied to be sitting with her yesterday." The raven-haired boy wasn't in good terms with Leaf at the moment - unknown to him - because of what Gary told her about Ash blowing Dawn off yesterday.

"Uh..." Ash looked at the brunette curiously, wondering why she was giving him a tone. She only used that tone with Gary, never on Ash himself. He had to admit, it scared him a bit. "W-well, looks can be deceiving."

Leaf scoffed and rolled her eyes and received a hand squeeze from Gary who had found her hand under the table. She relaxed a little, but was still mad at Ash.

"What are those for?" Ash asked, eyeing the cupcakes and buttons sitting on the table. "Who is 'D?'" he asked, after he read the button.

"Should we tell him?" May asked, looking around at everyone except Ash for an answer.

"I _highly _doubt he'll give _her_ the time of day to ask _her_ about it or whatever," Leaf said in a harsh tone, glaring at Ash, and shrugging her shoulders. "So why not?"

"Leaf entered Dawn to to run for Prom Queen, but she doesn't know, so we're campaigning for her in secrecy," May explained.

Ash's eyebrow raised and he grew curious. "How do you even keep that a secret from her? No one's said anything yet? Rumors spread like wildfire around this school...how could she not have found out?"

"We tell people not to tell Dawn," Leaf said easily as if were obvious.

"What? And they listen?"

"Apparently," May said. "I mean this is the first day we've started and nothing's come up yet...hopefully it can stay that way. At least for another week."

"If Dawn finds out, she might be mad at you," Ash stated. "You know she's not into that Prom Queen stuff." He remembered a night they spent together and they were talking about. Dawn had said she thought they entire thing was stupid and that girls fret over becoming Prom Queen for no reason because you only get recognition for one night and after that, no one remembers. She simply thought it was pointless and despised the girls who did everything in their power to win. "Why are you doing it anyway?" he asked, shaking his head of the distant memory.

"And you care because...?" Leaf trailed off her sentence and raised her eyebrow at Ash, waiting for his answer.

Before he could respond however, May answered his question. She had to explain it in a way that Ash wouldn't know he was running for Prom King and that they were only doing it for the benefit of Ash and Dawn. "Because, despite Dawn not wanting to be Prom Queen, we think it'll actually...be good for her. Ya know, before she leaves out of the region the next day. It's like she'll have a great night and it'll be something she can take with her and treasure forever."

"Oh..." Ash said, trailing off his sentence. He thought it was sweet of them to do that for her. Especially being that he couldn't give her the night he'd wanted to. She deserved it, too.

"Leaf, can I talk to you?" An angry voice came up from behind the brunette. Before she could answer, a hand pulled her up by the arm and quickly led her out of the cafeteria.

The group of friends watched as the two girls walked out of the cafeteria.

They knew this wasn't going to be good.

**x-x-x**

Dawn had left her art class a couple minutes late, but the hallway was still fairly filled with students making their way to lunch. She weaved her way through the students and was minding her business until she received a small tap on her shoulder and turned around to find Misty smiling at her. The bluenette mentally rolled her eyes, wondering what she could possibly want.

"Hi, Dawn!" Misty said in an upbeat, cheery voice that was one-hundred percent fake.

"Uh, hey..." Dawn said, raising her eyebrow. She was anything but friends with this girl. She once _thought _they were but had come to find out, that people really don't change like they say they do.

"I know this is weird and all, but I just wanted to know if you were going to vote me for Prom Queen?" The red-head gave her most dazzling smile, but it soon vanished when she faked she'd just remembered something. "Oh, wait...I forgot that running candidates can't vote for others. Ugh, what was I thinking? So silly of me!"

Misty feigned a frown and pushed her lip out in mock disappointment. Her plan was to tell Dawn that she was running for Prom Queen - which she knew it was something she was against - and have Dawn to drop out, making the crown and Ash hers. At first, she didn't want Dawn to forfeit, but now that Misty seen Dawn was a threat to her winning, she needed her eliminated asap.

Dawn gave Misty a confused looked and folded her arms across her chest. "Misty, what are you talking about? I'm not running for Prom Queen. It's not something I care about."

"Oh, really?" she cocked her head to the side, giving Dawn an innocent look and pulled out one of the buttons Gary had made. "Then what's this? I saw Gary and Leaf passing out these adorable little things this morning. I must have mistaken the D for another girl's name that begins with it."

"Yeah," Dawn said, now raising her eyebrow in question. "That D is for Dana...the senior. Leaf is helping her campaign for Prom Queen."

"Dana?" Misty repeated the name. "She transferred to another school, last week. You hadn't heard?"

"W-what? N-no," Dawn said, laughing sheepishly and waving a hand in dismissal. "Impossible because...May and Kai were passing out candy for her this morning...they're helping Leaf campaign for her."

Misty placed her hand on Dawn's shoulder and shook her head slowing, "Tsk, tsk tsk. You poor thing. Your friends entered you for the running of Prom Queen. This is what the 'D' stands for. Leaf is not the type of person to help someone who isn't close to her," Misty scoffed, thinking of the brunette, "you know that."

"B-but why would they want to _me _to run for Prom Queen. They know I'm not that type of girl. It's not my thing." Dawn could feel herself growing upset. She wasn't too mad because they entered her, but mad because they lied to her and went behind her back. Something real friends don't do.

Misty brought up a freshly manicured hand and checked it out, saying in a nonchalant tone, "Oh, maybe because they see how desperate and pathetic you are now that you and Ash are broken up. They must think if you win, you might be happier."

"Excuse me?" Dawn said, placing her hands on her hips and giving Misty a look. "Desperate? Pathetic?"

"Well, yeah. I saw the way you were looking at Ash and me yesterday in lunch. It was clear in your eyes how pathetic you really are. Can't accept the fact that Ash's moved on already?"

"Misty, I don't care," Dawn said, "I can assure you that I'm definitely _not _desperate nor pathetic."

Misty chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Only pathetic people claim they're not. But whatever, I applaud your friends trying to help you be 'happy' but, what they don't know is that you stand no chance against me."

Misty was about to tell her about Ash running as Prom Queen, but had decided against it because if Dawn was as pathetic as she thought, she just might decide to stay in the race and try to steal the spotlight dance that was promised to whoever one Queen and King.

Dawn's hands were now turned into small fists, as the anger built inside her. She'd just been insulted by Misty, and found out that her friends went behind her back. "Whatever, Misty. You're definitely not worth my time right now. I have more important matters to discuss with my 'friends'" Dawn rolled her eyes, and brushed past Misty who smirked in satisfaction.

She was sure Dawn was going to drop out of the running now.

Dawn angrily made her way to the cafeteria and scanned the large room for the table she and her friends usually occupied everyday at lunch. She eyed her target and stomped over to the table.

"Leaf, can I talk to you?" Dawn said with anger dripping from her voice.

She ignored the glanced her friends gave her and didn't even bother to speak to them. She was sure they knew about Leaf entering her to run as Prom Queen, but she'd get them later. She wanted to talk to Leaf about it first, since she seemed to be the one in charge of all of this.

Dawn didn't give Leaf even a chance to turn around and acknowledge Dawn before she pulled her up by the arm and practically dragged the brunette out of the cafeteria.

When the two were alone in the hall, Dawn left go of Leaf's arm and glared at her.

"Dawn, what's your problem?" Leaf said, quickly, being a big angered by Dawn's sudden temper.

"When did you plan on telling me that you put me in the running for Prom Queen?"

Leaf's glare quickly softened. She put a hand on her hip and raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "H-how do you know about that?"

The bluenette crossed her arms and continued to throw glares at Leaf. "_I _want to know why you went behind my back and did this. You even got May and Kai to lie for you, which means _they _went behind my back as well. Leaf, you _know _I'm not into that whole 'Prom Queen' thing. It's so stupid!"

"Woah, Dawn," Leaf said, holding her hands up in defense and hoping to calm down the angered bluenette. "Kai and May only wanted to help, because they care about you, as I do. I did this for your own good. Trust me."

"Let me guess, you think I'm desperate and pathetic ever since Ash and I broke up?"

Leaf's face now held the look of confusion. She frowned, "What? Dawn, what are you talking about?"

"I mean, that _is _the only reason why you entered me, right? Want me to be _happy _because you think my Prom night won't be good since I won't be going with Ash?"

"Dawn, is that seriously why you think I entered you? I don't think that of you!" Leaf crossed her arms and scoffed. "You must really think low of me if you think I actually see you that way."

Dawn was lost for words and felt a bit idiotic. But she was only going off what Misty had told her. Why else would Leaf enter Dawn, anyway? There seemed to be no other reason.

"Seriously, where did you even get that logic from?" Leaf asked in a demanding tone.

"M-Misty."

"Wait," Leaf said, coming to a conclusion, "is she the one that told you I entered you in for Prom Queen?" Dawn gave a small head nod. "That little...Look, Dawn, what Misty said was wrong. I don't think your pathetic, let alone desperate - I know you're not. What I _do _know is that you miss Ash, but I don't think no more of you than that, because I know you're stronger than that."

Leaf had lightened up her attitude and Dawn did the same and let her best friend's words comfort her. Dawn now deemed herself stupid to even listen to Misty in the first place.

However, she did want to know the real reason why Leaf entered her anyway. "So why did you-"

"Submit your name as a candidate?" Leaf said, finishing Dawn's question. "Well, I _know _how much you were looking forward to going with Ash to Prom and dance with him and just overall have a good night. And, Dawn, sweetie, you still deserve it. So...I took it upon myself to enter you as Prom Queen."

"Leaf, what exactly-"

"Let me finish," Leaf said in a half stern voice. "I entered Ash to run as Prom King. I'm not worried about Ash not winning, because he definitely will. But, with Misty running against you, we had to do some campaigning."

"I'm still not understanding, Leaf," Dawn said growing impatient and crossing her arms across her chest.

"I was getting there. So, after the King and Queen are announced they share a dance that's under a spotlight...and I thought, maybe it would be _so _amazing for you and Ash to share that dance. I think it could be the perfect thing for you two. Especially before you guys part for good. Why not share one last romantic moment together - in a relationship or not."

"Leaf..." Dawn said. She _did _like the sound of having a dance with Ash, being that she more than likely wouldn't dance with him at all at Prom, but she also wasn't sure if it was the best thing to happen.

"And everyone agreed to it!" the brunette exclaimed, referring to their friends. "We all think it'd be a good idea. I mean, you _and _Ash deserve it. Please, don't drop out. I really want this for you, Dawn."

Dawn didn't say anything, she only eyed her friend, thinking what she should do.

"Plus...Misty is very delusional and has this weird, mapped out plan to get Ash back."

"So? She can do that...I mean, we're not dating anymore."

"Dawn, don't try to act like you don't care because I know you do. Would you honestly like to see Ash dancing with her or you?"

The bluenette rolled her eyes and sighed. "Okay, maybe you're right...but still, Leaf."

"But still nothing. Misty _thinks _she's better than you, and she believes she can beat you. Come on, Dawn, let's show her up. Show her that you're the better person. You deserve to be Prom Queen and deserve to have that dance with Ash."

Dawn bit lightly on her bottom lip, in thought. She stayed quiet for a minute while Leaf poked her bottom out, practically begging Dawn to make the right decision which was staying in the running.

If staying in meant Dawn will have a promised dance with Ash and to keep Misty away for a while then why not give it a try?

The bluenette finally smiled and brought her friend in for her hug. "Fine, I'll do it. Only if you promise not to get too crazy with the campaigning."

The brunette squealed in excitement and pulled away from Dawn with a smile on her face. "No promises, but I do promise it'll be worth it."

Dawn giggled, "Well, can you at least promise me that there will be no more secrets?"

Leaf gave Dawn a genuine smile and nodded her head. "I promise, Dawn. No more secrets."

Just as the two girls were about to re-enter the cafeteria, the bell rang, signally the end of lunch and third period and that it was time to move on the the last period of the day.

Leaf and Dawn decided to wait outside the doors of the cafeteria for their friends. It took three big crowds of students before their friends emerged from the doors.

"Everything okay?" Kai asked, spotting the two girls first. The rest walked up behind Kai and surrounded Leaf and Dawn.

"Yeah," Dawn said sheepishly. "Misty told me what Leaf did...but it's cool now."

"About entering you as Prom Queen?" May asked and Dawn nodded her head. "Leave it to Misty to try and ruin things...are you dropping out?" she asked, with worry spreading across her face.

"Actually, I'm not," Dawn smiled, "I'm gonna give it a try. Can't let Misty win, now can we?" She winked and giggled along with May.

"So will we be putting up posters and junk tomorrow?" Gary asked with a smirk. "Because _I_ can make the posters. Ya know, with my artistic skills."

"I don't know..." Dawn said in a skeptical tone.

"Gary's the one that made these buttons," Kai said holding up the cute button. "I think he'd be a great fit to make the posters."

"I hate to admit it, but I think so too," Leaf said wrapping her arms around Gary who now had a smug look on his face.

"Oh, fine," Dawn said with a small giggle. "Gary you're in charge of making posters."

"I'll bring more candy!" May chimed.

"And I'll...find something to pass out," Leaf said.

"And I'll just help May," Drew added coolly. "With all our help, this should turn out great for you."

"We'll see," the bluenette said sheepishly.

After realizing they only had two more minutes to get to class, the group split and went their separate ways.

Dawn had tried to catch up with Ash again before they split up, but Ash brushed her off once again. This time, it went noticed by all of her friends and they wondered themselves about Ash's behavior towards Dawn. But they couldn't pinpoint an exact reason for it.

Again Dawn was hurt by this and being that this was the second time he'd done this to her, she questioned whether or not if she should even _want _to dance with Ash at Prom if she won Prom Queen. Because if he kept this up, he might not want to even dance with her.

Which was something she didn't think of until now.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: And finished! :) I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Again, sorry about that guys! This will be my last update for a while (I don't know how long) because I'm leaving to go on a cruise Saturday, and with my schedule this week, I know I won't be able to finish the next chapter. I certainly will TRY because next chapter will be fairly short, but I still doubt I will finish. Hopefully, when I come back, I can get a chapter up for you guys :)<strong>

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review and see you all soon! :)**

**- Angel _o/**


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